Save Max Caulfield
by Desslok
Summary: After the funeral, Max finds strange entries in the back of her journal which she can't recall writing, covering things from the obvious to the impossible. When one by one they start coming true, though, can she dare hope that the most impossible one of all is true too? Post "Save Arcadia Bay". MaximumVictory/Chasefield. Rated M for themes, language and eventual smut (R-rated).
1. Sat and Sun: The Funeral and the Journal

Author's Note: I've been away from fan fiction for a long time, but when the muse hits, I must write. I know I'm late to the game, but "Life is Strange" certainly inspired me to write. I'm not sure how active, if at all, the LiS fanfic fandom is at this point, but if you found this, I hope you enjoy it. It was inspired by some really great LiS stories out there, esp. the Chasefield/Maximum Victory stuff. In particular, "Sucked into the Vortex" by lydiarmarks and "It's even worse than it looks" by unknown_knowns (on Archive of our Own only I think).

* * *

Of course she would snap back right into the funeral. A now-familiar wave of nausea and vertigo swept through Max Caulfield as she felt the timelines sort themselves out. Fortunately, anyone who noticed would simply attribute her distress to the circumstances. Perhaps because she filtered so much of her life through her hobby, Max visualized this readjustment period as a series of photographs either burning away, fading, or appearing. She managed to collect herself from the transition just in time for the grief to come crashing down upon her, the sudden realization of what she had just done, the sacrifice she had made.

Chloe

Tears fell and a tortured sob escaped her as Max resisted the sudden urge to throw herself on the coffin. She deserved to be in there, not Chloe. She did this. It was all her fault. She knew she would soon forget, once the timelines settled. She didn't deserve to forget this pain, so she wallowed in it, forcing herself to feel every ounce of it. Only when Joyce's arm fell across her shoulders did Max realize how badly she'd been shaking as she broke down completely. Right now, she did not even know how long she had known this Joyce. Had she sought her out immediately after? Had she chickened out, again, and avoided her until this very day? How much did Joyce hate or resent her for ignoring Chloe for all those years, for not doing anything in the bathroom other than watch as the young girl bled out on the cold tile? For injecting morphine into an IV and ending her daughter's life? Dozens of Maxes and dozens of timelines and nothing but failure and heartbreak. Max did not deserve to forget this.

A flicker of blue in the corner of her eye snapped Max out of her daze. That same damned blue butterfly fluttered over the grave, taunting Max. It had offered her unimaginable power, only to punish her for using it. The harsh, arbitrary unfairness of it all seared into Max's soul. Why be given these powers if she wasn't supposed to use them, if trying to do good and use them responsibly only led to mass destruction? Max knew she had never, not once, used her powers for selfish reasons, no matter what the demons in her nightmares claimed. 'Wait,' she thought with a sudden revulsion, 'maybe I made the wrong choice. Maybe I was supposed to save Chloe. Everyone said the town was decaying, rotting from within. Maybe the storm was the right answer, a chance to cleanse Arcadia Bay.' She almost threw up.

When the service ended and people began drifting back towards their cars, Max excused herself and ran to a quiet part of cemetery, away from prying eyes. With a manic desperation, she pulled her journal out of her messenger bag, flipped to the end, and starting writing. She didn't have long, but damned if she'd let it all be for naught.

* * *

**BEEP BEEP BEEP**

Max reached over to her nightstand and switched off her phone's alarm. She could not remember any dreams and felt like she'd slept soundly, but still felt exhausted. 'It must be the stress of the funeral,' she thought, trying to bite back her guilt. Five years she'd failed to reach out to her former best friend. Three months she'd been back in Arcadia Bay without a phone call or a text, and now Chloe was dead, mixed up in some weird psychotic S&M photo dungeon with Nathan Prescott and Mr. Jefferson! The story was trickling out slowly, and it seemed like maybe Chloe's involvement was incidental, but still, Max couldn't reconcile the blue-haired punk girl dead at the hands of a drug dealer with her sweet Pirate Captain. 'Her father's death must have been so hard on her,' Max considered, with another swell of guilt. She hadn't exactly been there for her best friend back then and the move was a piss poor excuse.

Shaking her head to try to dislodge this cycle of recrimination, Max slipped out of bed and stretched. Going through the motions of her morning routine, she watered Lisa and picked out her clothes. On her desk, her journal lay beckoning, but Max couldn't bring herself to pick it up. Maybe in a day or two. She gathered up her bathroom stuff and headed toward the showers.

Things would eventually get back to normal, or the new normal in any case, but the residue of this horrid week still lingered at Blackwell. Max noted how few of the message boards had anything written on them. The peace sign she'd left for Kate remained and Max felt confident that she'd never again need to erase harassing graffiti. Kate had been completely vindicated when the details about Nathan's activities at Jefferson's behest had come out. That did little to comfort Kate who now had to deal with the aftermath of what that scumbag had done. At least the police were able to confirm that none of the sick images Jefferson had taken had been distributed anywhere outside his sick photo dungeon. Everyone had been assured that only those people involved in Jefferson's trial would ever see them and they would be destroyed as soon as legally possible. Principal Wells had even sprung for a counselor to be made available to students and Max hoped Kate would take advantage of that. 'Maybe I should,' she pondered.

Classes would start back up on Monday, except for photography, of course. Max had heard a rumor once that, at college, if your roommate killed themselves, you got all As for that semester. She didn't know if that was true, but everyone in Jefferson's class had been given an A and full credit for the class. Life moved on elsewhere, though, and Max did have some homework for her other classes. After her shower, she got dressed and started on her reading, not really in the mood to be with anyone else. Warren had been texting less and less since he'd hooked up with Brooke and Max suspected Kate needed some space as much as she did.

'Do I really only have two friends, after three months?' She had never really worried about it before. Even in Seattle, she'd relied on a couple close friends rather than fitting into a huge social circle like Victoria's Vortex Club. Max smiled wistfully. Victoria Chase could only be considered Max's exact opposite. Blonde to Max's brunette, dressed in the latest fashions as opposed to Max's 'hipster dork chic,' popular and outgoing unlike Max's shy and solitary life. Beautiful and glamorous to Max's plain and drab. 'Maybe if I was gorgeous and perfect like her, I'd be popular like that,' Max considered. For a startlingly long moment, Max let herself drift into a fantasy world where she was popular and beautiful, with a circle of friends like Taylor, Courtney, and Dana. She saw herself sitting on the quad with Victoria at her side, looking up at her with adoration, and maybe something a little more. It felt so very real...

A couple hours later, her homework complete, Max leaned back in her desk chair and yawned. She'd need to go get something to eat soon, but her room was so warm and cozy and safe. She should check on Kate. Maybe Brooke had chilled enough now that she'd finally "won" Warren that Max could hang out with them. She looked forward to hanging with Warren without the guilt of his unrequited crush hanging over them. Maybe she should try to become better friends with Dana or Alyssa. They'd both been very nice to Max, willing to overlook her shyness, or at least not openly mocking her like Victoria. The thought of Victoria brought a frown to Max's face and an unwelcome quiver to her heart. Why did Victoria waste her precious time making fun of Max? Why did Max let herself wander into Victoria's path so often? Max rubbed her hands over her face to wipe that chain of thought away and noticed her journal, forlorn on the edge of the desk.

With a sigh, Max reached out and flipped through the pages. Her last entry had been from photography class, the day that Nathan shot Chloe. It felt so inane now, skimming her entries from her arrival at Blackwell, her notes on her classmates and teachers, the little photos she'd snuck of them. As she set the book down, she noted something odd. It looked like some pages had been torn out of the back. Flipping quickly through, she saw that indeed at least four or five pages close to the end had been ripped out of the book! She certainly hadn't done that and for a moment, she worried that someone had gotten hold of her diary. A quick review of her week reassured her that she'd never left her journal unattended in that time, Even as she examined this mystery, she noted some writing on the very last page, which somehow had not been torn out along with the other pages nearby. She saw writing there in what was unmistakably her own handwriting, but which she knew she had never written.

 ** _Brooke and Warren_**

Well, duh. Why had she written that? Max knew she didn't have any feelings for Warren. She was happy for them both. When and why had she jotted that down?

 ** _Taylor's Mom – sick or injured. T is really worried about her._**

 ** _Courtney is really sweet underneath it all. Let her help you with your fashion_**

What? Max had never spoken more than two words with either Taylor or Courtney. They only echoed the barbs that Victoria tossed her way. They were practically Victoria's slaves. Minions at best. Max laughed imagining Taylor and Courtney as yellow, one-eyed Minions craving bananas.

 ** _Dana's been through some shit with Logan (pregnancy) – she should be with Trevor_**

Dana _had_ seemed very out of sorts recently. Max knew that she'd had some sort of fight with Juliet, her best friend, but didn't know what it was about. She lived well outside the gossip circles of Blackwell. Max hadn't known that Dana had been dating Logan. And Trevor? The skater guy? This entire thing was completely crazy.

 ** _Let Daniel draw you. He's really nice and could use the boost. Don't let them bully him._**

Max flushed, recalling yet another of her not-so-brilliant moments recently, when she'd seen some of the other boys hassling Daniel by his locker. She hadn't intervened, of course, because she was Max Caulfield, not some brave heroine in a YA book who stood up for the little guy and stopped bullies. Now that she thought of it, though, hadn't Daniel said he wanted to ask her something the other day? She'd blown past him, too wrapped up in her guilt over how she'd ignored Chloe all those years. Did he want to draw her? That felt weird and a little creepy, but also a little flattering.

 ** _David is good for Joyce and vice versa. He's a little messed up (PTSD) but his heart is in the right place._**

Who is David? Max only knew one Joyce. She'd been at the funeral with Mr. Madsen, the security guard. Was he David? Reading this made her happy for Joyce, she guessed, but it felt really tangential to her life right now.

 ** _Check on Kate and keep her safe._**

Duh she'd keep an eye on Kate. The poor girl had been through a lot. Max missed hearing her play the violin in the mornings and made a vow to take her guitar over there to play with her soon.

What was up with these things? Some were obvious, like this. Others were completely random like that stuff about Daniel, Courtney, and Taylor. When could she have written these things? Had she gotten drunk or high and forgotten about it? Had someone drugged her? Max felt her heart rate rise with a panic, but she talked herself back down. Walking through her week since her last journal entry, she remembered everything clearly except for parts of the funeral, and it made sense that that horrible day would be a bit fuzzy. In any case, she doubted she'd been drugged and forced to write weird things in her journal at a funeral in front of half the school.

She looked back to the journal to read the last entry. Her jaw dropped, she slammed the book shut and thrust it into a drawer, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. Max stood and rubbed her arms, willing the goosebumps there to fade, struggling to get her breathing under control. She couldn't understand or deal with this right now. Clearly, she needed food. This whole experience must be a delusion brought on by low blood sugar. She strode deliberately to her door, determined to put all this aside and focus on simple, manageable tasks, like getting lunch.

-xxx-

Max set the pen back in her messenger bag. As the last rays of sunlight peeked between the gravestones, she saw that damned butterfly floating off into the sunset. She knew it was taking her unwanted, unhelpful powers with it and she thanked it for that one small mercy even as she cursed its very existence. She'd forget soon. Writing it all out had helped and Max understood now that she could not condemn her future self to the hell she'd lived through. She glanced down at the last bit she'd written and smiled sadly. She'd spent five years in that timeline, far longer than any other, but she only recalled those couple days she'd "woken" there. Still, what she'd seen in that brief time lingered and felt worthy of capturing, if only for this one last instant.

 ** _In another world, you were popular, like Vortex Club popular. You were confident and strong and everyone liked you. And Victoria Chase had a huge crush on you._**

 ** _As bad as the one you have on her..._**


	2. Monday: Taylor

_Taylor Christensen sat under a tree, looking sad. Max approached cautiously, uncertain and scared, but determined to make a connection. Taylor might know something important. That was Max's main motivation, but seeing the troubled look on the young woman's face, Max resolved to try to help her. And after a couple tries, she got it right. The poor thing was worried sick about her mom and only Victoria had been there to comfort her. The thought of a comforting Victoria Chase shook Max to her core in ways she wasn't quite ready to confront. Stepping away from Taylor, Max headed toward the parking lot..._

* * *

 _***_ BEEP***BEEP***BEEP

Max Caulfield woke with a start, the dream still fresh in her mind. She darted out of bed and rushed to her desk, pulling out the journal and scanning that weird last page.

 _ **Taylor's Mom – sick or injured. T is really worried about her.**_

'What the hell is going on? Am I going crazy? Maybe I'm a psychic,' Max grasped for any explanation. "A psychic, who sleep-journals... or a crazy person.' Max couldn't shake the memory of her dream. It had felt so real, but even now that feeling was fading, as with any vivid dream. She resolutely focused on her normal routine to put it out of mind. It was Monday and she had classes to attend.

Apparently, the teachers and staff at Blackwell had decided that the best way to restore normalcy to the school was through a deluge of homework to keep the kids preoccupied. Max caught up to Kate after Chemistry and fell into step beside her.

Kate smiled up at Max as she noticed her presence. "I guess it's going to be a long week, Max."

"Looks like it, Kate," Max sighed. On a whim, she linked her arm through Kate's. Typically, neither she nor Kate were particularly touchy-feely, but Max felt a sudden need to feel some human contact. Kate glanced up with some surprise, but did not seem to mind. She smiled shyly and tightened her arm a bit on Max's.

"We'll be Ok, Max," she said quietly,"or at least I keep telling myself that."

"Did the counselor suggest..."

"Yeah," Kate replied, more confident than usual,"she said I should trust in my own strength, that I could get through this period and that things, eventually, would get better."

"She's right, you're one of the strongest people I know."

"I don't know about that," Kate blushed, "but maybe... anyway, it helps to say even I don't completely believe it just yet." She paused and they walked on a bit longer in a comfortable silence.

"I was thinking, maybe I could come by sometime with my guitar and we could play together?" Max finally asked, recalling her promise to herself.

Kate's smile lit up the autumn evening. "I'd really like that. It's been a long time since I've played, and... I think I'd like to start again."

"Well, then it's a date," Max joked, squeezing Kate's arm.

"I knew you were a dyke, Lamefield," a familiar caustic voice barked. Max looked up to find that she and Kate had drifted into earshot of Victoria and her henchman... henchwomen?.. henchpeople?... Courtney and Taylor. The latter two chuckled into their hands as Victoria rose from the bench where she'd been sitting and stalked towards her. Her eyes were full of malice, but Max thought for a moment she saw something more in them. More than just a desire to tease or mock, but something like real anger, or... hurt?

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised a dyke like you found the only girl on campus more meek and simpering than you are," Victoria continued. Taylor and Courtney gasped a little, and even Victoria blushed suddenly, looking away for the briefest of moments. Everyone knew Kate was out of bounds for this type of shit since... well, since everything. Whatever momentary guilt Victoria may have felt, however, she clearly decided to burn it away by doubling down. "Isn't being gay against your religion, Marsh?"

Max tensed, torn between the desire to run away and an urge to punch Victoria in the face. How dare she mess with Kate?! Before she could say anything, though, she felt a squeeze on her arm.

Kate stepped forward and took a deep breath. "It actually doesn't, Victoria. My Lord believes in love in all its forms, no matter what some small-minded people think." Her voice started low but got stronger as she spoke. "Max and are just very good friends and so, I wish you wouldn't be so mean to her."

Max could find no words. With a stunned kind of pride, she stepped up and took Kate's hand. "If you can't tell the difference between friends and lovers, you're going to have a confused life, Victoria," she said, with a strength that surprised her as much as Kate's had. "Or are you jealous?"

Why had she added that? Stupid journal, screwing with her head. Max cursed her complexion as she could feel the blush wash over her face. She hoped in the dim light of dusk that no one would notice how red she was or hard she was breathing suddenly. She forced herself to meet Victoria's gaze, but what she saw there almost dropped her where she stood.

Victoria stammered something about "..whatever Caulfield.." but her eyes were wide and her lips were trembling. Max felt a sudden urge to reach out and caress her cheek, to comfort the harsh blonde girl even despite how mean she had just been. 'What the hell?!' Max thought.

Before Max could react further, Victoria huffed and stormed off. Taylor and Courtney looked at each other in bewilderment, unsure what to do next. Eventually, Courtney got up and rushed off after Victoria, but Taylor was a little slower to move. Max recalled her dream and decided to take a chance.

"I'll talk to you later, Kate," she said gently, gesturing for Kate to go on ahead. After Kate had left, Max turned back to the bench where Taylor slowly gathered her books.

"Hey Taylor, got a second?" Max said in a tone much closer to her normal shy voice.

"What do you want, Lamefield?"

Max almost smiled. Taylor could borrow Victoria's words, but she had none of her fire. Ignoring the jibe, Max continued. "I just wanted you to know, ... I heard your mom's not been well, and ... if you ever want to talk about it, or need anything... I'm here."

Taylor looked up, startled, clearly taken aback by this unexpected turn of conversation.

"I know you have Victoria," Max went on, "and Courtney, but maybe sometimes it's nice to talk to someone a little more removed."

"Why are you saying these things?" Taylor asked, dumbfounded.

"I guess it's because I know what it's like to try to deal with stuff on your own and how much it sucks."

Taylor took some time to sort her confusion and figure out how to respond, "She was your friend, wasn't she? The girl who died."

Max could only nod sadly. Her introverted self longed to rush back to the safe seclusion of her room, but she made herself stay.

"Well, um, thanks I guess, but I'm ok. My mom, she's getting better," Taylor finally said, standing up. She stood before Max and made direct eye contact for what may have been the very first time. "Seriously, I'm not sure what's going on, but... thanks, Max. I appreciate it and... I'll keep your offer in mind." She moved away, but paused and turned back to add, "And hey, about Victoria... I'm uh sorry, I guess. She and Nate were pretty close and it's all been kinda hard on her, too. She's not really as mean as she seems." With that, she went off to find her friends.

Max sat down hard on the bench, feeling as if she'd just completed a marathon, exhausted but strangely exhilarated. The journal had been right, Taylor's mom had been ill. Max had just had a civil conversation with her and she'd seemed... human. When _she_ felt sad or stressed, Max withdrew into herself, closing the world out behind her music or her camera. Maybe other people reacted differently. Kate seemed more like Max, which was probably why it was so easy for them to be friends, but maybe people like Victoria and Taylor lashed out rather than hid away when the world was unkind. Max had barely known Nathan Prescott, only his reputation as the head of the Vortex Club. Now, she only thought of him as Chloe's killer, but they said he was mentally unstable, not acting in his right mind. Based on what she'd seen in the bathroom, Max could believe that he was insane. Lord knows what that scumbag Jefferson did to him. What if it had been one of _her_ good friends who got twisted up in all that. If Chloe had shot Nathan, how would Max feel about her?

'You're trying to justify yourself to Chloe, because you have a crush on her killer's friend,' her dark side whispered. Max tried to ignore those dark thoughts, but some times it was harder than others. The stupid journal had revived feelings that Max had spent the last two months suppressing. From the first time she'd seen her coming out of her room across the hall, Max had been attracted to Victoria Chase. Her elegance and grace, the way she strode through the dorm with a confidence that Max had never possessed, that beautiful blonde hair cut in exactly the style to set Max's heart aflutter, not to mention the way her legs looked in those pencil-thin skirts she wore. The fact that Max could barely get a sentence out when confronted with this vision of beauty and power had no doubt contributed to Victoria's contempt for her. The first few times they'd talked, Max had barely been able to string together a coherent thought and had fled as soon as possible. No wonder Victoria hated her. The endless barbs and teasing should have made it easier for Max to forget her attraction, but somehow they only made it worse, as if any attention from Victoria was better than none.

By October, Max had resigned herself to her fate and tried to lose herself in her classes. She thought she was over it, but that damned journal brought it all back to the surface. She'd barely been able to read that last entry without breaking out in tears. Now, based on this thing with Taylor, it looked like the journal might be telling the truth about things. Max's eyes widened as she suddenly recalled something. Frantically, Max pulled her journal out of her bag and flipped to the end, now reading much more carefully the words that had scared her away last night.

 _ **...Victoria Chase had a huge crush on you**_

But wait, what did this mean about "another world." The other entries didn't say that. Why just this one? Did this mean it wasn't true? Max's head started to hurt, so she tossed the journal back into her bag and headed to her room.

Clearly, something very strange was going on here and she needed to learn more. She began to form a plan.


	3. Tuesday: Kate

*Click*

Max's ancient Polaroid camera churned loudly as it processed the photo which she now realized was the first she'd taken since that day. It showed the walkway outside the dorm, just a flat expanse of concrete with a single red drop as the only color against the uniform beige background. Poor Alyssa had been in the wrong place at the wrong time last week and taken a football to the head. Fortunately, only a minor nosebleed resulted. Max looked at the photo as it swam into focus, the single spot of blood on the otherwise mundane sidewalk symbolizing how the aftereffects of violence still lingered in the air here at Blackwell.

'That's kind of dark, Max,' she realized as she tucked the picture into her bag carefully.

Once again, Max had thought she'd slept well, but woke exhausted. She'd barely been able to stumble through her morning classes without falling asleep. Yesterday, after that conversation with Taylor, Max had been excited to test out the other pieces of information from her mysterious psychic dream journal, but today she just felt tired, borne down by some huge unseen weight. She'd realized that there was no point in talking to Taylor or trying to make new friends. There was a reason that she never had many friends. She didn't deserve any.

She'd had the very best friend of all time and she'd failed her. Her best friend's dad had died and rather than help her friend through that trauma, she'd used a move as an excuse to run away from the pain. It wasn't like this was the 80s or some other pre-historic time before cell phones or text or Skype. She couldn't use distance as an excuse. But she had. 'You were 13,' a lone voice echoed in her ears, trying to fight the gloom, and failing.

Max gazed down at the drop on the pavement in front of her. Suddenly the drop began to expand, now fresh blood rushing and pooling across the floor, coating the tiles as it poured out of the body, making a sick gurgling sound which she could hear clearly even over her own screams.

"Max! Max!"

The vision of blood faded, and Max slowly regained her senses. Somehow, she was on the grass by the bushes which lined the wall. A pool of fresh vomit in front of her made her retch as she staggered to her feet. A very concerned-looking Kate Marsh helped her stand.

"You're coming with me," Kate ordered in as commanding a voice as Max had ever heard from her. With a firm grip, Kate pulled Max along as she headed toward the main building.

"I don't know what happened," Max whispered in a meek, broken voice. "One minute I was taking a picture and the next…"

"You've been through something awful, Max, and things like that leave scars. You need help and that's ok," Kate replied gently.

Max shook her head weakly, starting to voice her typical protestations, but a squeeze from Kate stopped her.

"Max, there's nothing wrong with needing help. You helped me, after all, and the counselor has helped me. Heck, you told me to go there in the first place," Kate pointed out. "Remember what we talked about yesterday. We're strong and we will both get through this. I'm there for you. We all are."

This last phrase shook Max out of the cocoon she'd inhabited and brought her attention to the world around her. With a panicked gasp, she scanned the area. Who had seen her complete breakdown? Samuel moved slowly down the walkway from his closet, pushing a bucket with a mop. Logan and Zachary tossed a football in the distance, seemingly oblivious to the whole situation. Across the courtyard, though, over in the corner near Tobanga, Max saw a horrifying sight. Taylor, Courtney, and Victoria stared at them, hands covering their mouths. Were they laughing? Max couldn't see their expressions from this distance, but she felt another wave of nausea come over her. There went any progress she might have made befriending Taylor. There went any hope she had of….

Biting back a tortured cry, she ducked her head down and sped up considerably, dragging Kate along with her. She didn't know where Kate was taking her, but anywhere far from this humiliation would be fine.

-xxx-

"I'd like to see you again in a couple of days, Ms. Caulfield," the counselor said firmly. "And do try to work on some of the things we'd discussed."

"I will, Ms. Marks," Max answered.

Kate had, of course, been right. Max did feel better after seeing the counselor. Ms. Marks had mostly just listened but the simple act of saying aloud all the words that had been swirling through Max's head provided some relief. The counselor had made tiny suggestions, mostly posed as questions designed to help Max both acknowledge the reality that she had indeed undergone a very traumatic experience, but also to try to build a context and perspective around it that would prevent it from defining her or destroying her. Max knew she wasn't there yet, but for the first time in a long time, she felt like maybe, just maybe, things might get better.

Kate had wanted to skip her afternoon class to wait on her, but Max had insisted that she'd be Ok, and Ms. Marks had reassured Kate that she had things in hand for now. Max already owed Kate so much, she didn't want to hurt her grades, but it would have been nice for her to have someone to walk her back to the dorms. The quad was mostly deserted as she exited the main building, except for one person. Over by the display case, Max saw Victoria, closely examining the new artwork that had been posted there.

'Why is Victoria here? She has math class in the afternoon,' Max pondered, somewhat self-conscious on a deep level that she had somehow memorized Victoria's class schedule. As Max descended the stairs, Victoria looked over at her with an odd expression, one quickly swept away as the more typical light sneer emerged.

"Heavy flow day, Caulfield?" Victoria asked haughtily. "Good thing you don't have any classes this afternoon."

Max sighed, not really feeling up to a round of banter at the moment. Wait, what? Did Victoria know her schedule, too? What did that mean? Max felt a quiver in her stomach that had nothing to do with her recent 'illness.'

"No, Victoria," she replied, desperately trying to calm her ragged nerves. Something was going on which made Max very confused and very nervous. She continued walking towards the dorms, somewhat surprised when Victoria fell into step alongside her. She guessed the conversation wasn't over after all.

"I… um…" Why? Why could she not complete a single sentence around this girl? No wonder Victoria hated her; she sounded like a complete moron. She took a deep breath and plowed forward. "I was with the counselor."

Max braced for the insult, the mockery of her weakness, but instead she heard something most unexpected.

"Good," Victoria said in a clipped tone, "It's about time, Max." Noting the look of utter shock on Max's face, the blonde hastened to add, "I mean, really Caulfield, you shouldn't be so arrogant. What happened was pretty fucked up."

Max actually laughed. She'd been called many things in her life, in fact many by Victoria, but 'arrogant' was not one of them. "I guess," she admitted. "It did help."

Victoria nodded smugly, as if the entire concept of post-traumatic counseling had been her very own idea in the first place. "Of course," she said firmly. After a few more steps, she added in a soft whisper, "It helps me, too."

Max looked over in time to see the look of shock cross Victoria's face as she realized what she'd just said. Max knew at least a few things about Victoria, as one might expect given the amount of time she'd spent watching her over the last few months. Appearing Strong at All Times stood close to the top of the list of Victoria Traits. With a quick flash of insight and empathy, Max made her expression as neutral as possible and said, "I'm sorry, did you say something? I was distracted."

Victoria recovered her composure almost instantly and snorted with an indignance that Max now recognized as feigned. "You should pay attention when people are talking to you, Maxine. After all, it happens so infrequently."

"Max, not Maxine," she replied automatically.

"If I want to call you Maxine, I will," Victoria stated firmly. It almost sounded… possessive.

Normally, Max hated her full name, but somehow just now, she didn't mind quite as much. She nodded and looked up to see that they had made it back to the dorms. Max stepped up to get the door for Victoria. This simple gesture brought a quick flash of heat through her body. Sudden visions of holding doors, or pulling back a chair, or carrying a bag as a demure, quietly appreciative Victoria gazed up at her with shining adoration washed over her. She stood stupidly frozen in place by this flood of images, holding the door open and waiting.

Victoria hovered at the edge of the steps, seemingly lost in her own thoughts in that moment. Max could almost see the layers of ice melting as a much softer, gentler Victoria met her gaze for the briefest of moments before recalling where and who she was.

"I'm not going in there," she announced a bit too loudly. "I have a Vortex Club meeting in the South Hall." With that, she turned and hurried back the way they had come.

In a befuddled daze Max made her way up the stairs to her room. What had just happened? Had Victoria Chase walked her to her dorm? And she'd been so… nice. Caring, even. Feelings that Max had not let herself indulge in for a long time swirled and she decided to just let them flow for once. Max allowed the little fantasies and daydreams to run free in her addled brain, hoping that maybe they'd help wipe away the more unpleasant thoughts and memories of earlier in the day.

 _Max knocked on the door, holding the corsage lightly in her left hand. She hoped the color worked with… and the door opened, revealing a radiant Victoria in an exquisite dress, all red silk and black lace. She looked up at Max with a shy warmth that set Max's heart aflutter. She held out her pale wrist for Max, gazing happily at the corsage. "It's beautiful, Maxine," she whispered. "You're beautiful, Tori." Victoria closed her eyes and leaned forward. Max gently slid a hand to the back of her neck and pulled her closer…_

 _-x-_

 _Victoria stood over Max, walking back and forth, lightly tapping a ruler on her open palm. Max looked up from where she knelt, quivering in anticipation, feeling the sweat running down her body, pooling at the edge of the restraints. "You've been a very naughty girl, Caulfield," Victoria said in a breathy tone which made Max gasp._

" _Yes, Mistress," Max answered._

" _And what do we do with naughty girls?"_

" _Punish them."_

 _Victoria smiled and came closer…_

 _-x-_

 _A beautiful spring day on the quad. The skater boys doing tricks by the stairs; Brooke flying her drone, trying to impress her boyfriend; Evan scanning his portfolio at the bench. Max did her rounds, stopping to check in with each person, taking the time to maintain those relationships, before moving toward the grass where her circle of closest friends sat. She liked to think it was her influence which had made the Vortex Club more welcoming and perhaps it had been. She nodded to Kate and waved to Taylor and Dana as she found an open space. Victoria patted the ground next to her and looked up at Max eagerly. "I saved you a spot," she said warmly. Max smiled and settled down in the soft grass, reveling in the joy she felt as her girlfriend shifted to sit closer…_

A knock on the door startled Max out her reverie. Her face felt flushed and she struggled to regain control of her breathing. With a worried start, she pulled her hand out of the waistband of her jeans, wondering when it had gotten there. "Ummm… just a minute!" she squeaked.

She jumped up and quickly grabbed the water bottle from the windowsill. 'Sorry, Lisa, I need this more than you now.' She poured a little onto her hands and wiped her face before opening the door, hoping the water would wash away the blush. Opening the door, she got a welcome surprise. It was Kate.

"I'm done with classes and I just wanted to check on you," Kate said.

"I'm good, Kate," Max replied, realizing suddenly that it might actually be true. Thoughts of Victoria faded as Max collected herself. Something about Kate's very presence seemed to help keep her grounded. "Talking to the counselor really helped, you were right. I'm going to go back in a couple of days."

"I'm glad to hear that. She really helped me too. I'm sorry I couldn't wait and walk you back."

"It's fine," Max waved off Kate's concerns. "Victoria walked me back."

"Victoria Chase?" Kate exclaimed.

Max laughed, "Yes, that Victoria. The only Victoria." Noting the concerned, quizzical look on her friend's face, Max continued. "She was really nice, actually. Maybe she's PMSing."

Now Kate laughed, "I guess it might make sense that Victoria would get nicer."

Both of them giggled, before realizing that they might be acting a little mean. "Really though," Max said, "I think she was genuinely worried about me. I know she saw my little… incident." Max took a breath, focusing off into space. "I think maybe that a lot of what she does is just an act, a way to deal with all the shi..stuff that we all go through." Max lost herself in thought, as she was wont to do in the middle of a conversation. Did Victoria really care about her? The very idea made her feel suddenly warm and summoned the ghost of a smile.

Kate watched her friend with a dawning realization, one which weirdly made her feel joy inside rather than dread. "Sounds like you've been thinking a lot about Victoria," she ventured cautiously, testing the waters of her new theory.

Max's attention snapped back as her cheeks flushed pink. "No, not really, I mean…"

'Well, that's an interesting reaction,' Kate thought. She decided to let her friend off the hook, for now. "Do you have time maybe to play your guitar with me?" she interrupted.

"Absolutely!" Max beamed at her, thankful for the change in subject. Some time jamming with her best friend was just what Max needed right now.

Maybe she'd actually sleep well tonight.


	4. Wednesday: Allied Forces

Playing music with Kate and enjoying her company had done a lot yesterday to calm Max's nerves. The counselor had encouraged Max to find connections with people where she could, where she felt comfortable. Though much of what they'd discussed had focused on the traumatic events of the week prior, Max had shared some of her other issues, especially her social anxiety. With people she didn't know very well or who made her uncomfortable, Max found it hard to pick the right thing to say. She agonized over her words to the point where it seemed she was ignoring people or spacing out. Needless to say, that only irritated them and made Max more nervous, leading to more hesitancy and awkward silences. None of her relationships exemplified that vicious cycle more than her interactions with Victoria, Max realized. Sometimes Max just wished she could hit a pause button for her life, while she pondered the right dialog option to choose. Sadly, life was not like a video game.

In any case, she'd taken the advice and picked the safest, most easy-to-talk-to person she knew to practice with: Kate. Playing together was pleasant and would have made a nice excuse to be together without talking, but Max made a conscious effort not to take the easy way out. After they'd played a few songs, Max asked if Kate would join her for dinner in the cafeteria, explaining to her friend that she wanted to practice being a normal person. Kate had laughed, chided Max a bit for thinking she wasn't normal, and agreed happily. They found a secluded part of the dining room where they could talk quietly and practiced small talk on each other, as well as beginning to open up about themselves. It had been so long since Max had made a true friend; she'd forgotten how joyful a process it was. By the end of the night, she and Kate had really come to know one another, and Max looked forward to learning more and more about her.

Buoyed by that success, Max had woken up more refreshed than she had in a while. With no morning classes, she could linger in the shower a bit longer than usual and take her time preparing to face the day. She'd pondered the events of the past few days. She deliberately did not dwell on Chloe or the funeral. She knew that she still had a long road ahead dealing with those things, but she also knew she didn't have to try to run down that road all at once or alone. Instead, she decided to focus on the more fun and intriguing developments of the week, specifically, her manicpixiegirlpsychicmysteriousdream journalofportenthopefullynotdoom. Adding more adjectives somehow made it seem less threatening and potentially something fun, or at least helpful.

Sitting at her desk, she took a fresh piece of paper and transcribed the entries from the journal, placing check marks next to the ones about Brooke and Warren and Kate. They weren't anything she hadn't known before finding them. She put a star next to the one about Taylor to indicate that it was new information that had proven true. That left entries about Courtney, Dana, Daniel, Joyce, and Victoria. With a purposeful deep breath, she set the last one aside for the time being. She wasn't ready to open that can of feels, no matter how nice Victoria had been yesterday, or how pretty she'd looked in the late afternoon sun, or how intoxicating her lavender perfume had been, hanging in the air as they'd stood outside the dorms… No! Bad Max! Focus! She blushed recalling yesterday's descent into fantasy. Her legs shifted uncomfortably, and she considered that maybe if she'd finished… No! Double Bad Max!

With great force of will, she gathered herself and got up from the computer desk. She hadn't had breakfast and had some time before her afternoon class, so she decided to kill two birds with one stone (though the thought of dead birds bothered her quite a lot) by going to the Two Whales. Yummy waffles, necessary coffee, and the chance to check in with Joyce and investigate this David business. Nodding her head like a magical girl, she resisted the urge to shout "Hai" as she headed down toward the bus stop, a woman on a mission.

-xxx-

Kate Marsh felt someone tug her arm as she stood by her locker. Turning, she felt her heart race as she saw Taylor Christensen looking at her with an odd expression. "Is something wrong, Taylor?" she asked, mind racing to interpret this odd behavior. By habit, she scanned the hallway to see who else was watching, perhaps waiting to deliver the punchline to a cruel joke, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention.

"Hey Kate," Taylor began, her voice uncharacteristically soft and hesitant, "I just wanted to… you know…"

Kate certainly did not know, so she waited patiently, willing herself to remain calm. Silently, she considered how lucky she was. Just two days ago, she probably couldn't have kept herself this together, but talking to the counselor and especially Max about exactly this kind of thing gave her some confidence. She resolved to exemplify the things they'd talked about: being more confident in her own strength and not shying away from life. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to God for preparing her for this.

"I just wanted to say… well…" Taylor continued stammering. Kate realized suddenly that this is how she must look to people. Knowing that someone as pretty and popular as Taylor could stumble in a conversation lifted her spirits even further.

"It's Ok, Taylor," Kate said gently, laying a hand on her arm. "Take your time." She tried to be as reassuring as she wished people would be with her.

Taylor flashed her a grateful smile and took a breath. "I wanted to apologize. I should have been watching out for you at the party and I shouldn't have been so cruel afterwards. Or before. It was wrong." Her eyes dropped to the ground.

"Thank you," Kate replied simply, smiling kindly at her. "That means a lot, and it's really Ok. None of us is perfect and I've done things I regret too."

"I doubt that," Taylor said, sniffling a little bit, but now smiling as well.

"It's true. For example, I never really thought about how my posters might make people feel," Kate admitted. "My church wanted me to put them up and I didn't give it much thought."

"There's nothing wrong with abstinence."

"No, of course not, but I should have talked to people instead of putting up posters which might make people feel ashamed of themselves," she replied. "It sucks enough being a teenager away at a boarding school, without even more reason to doubt your choices. The message wasn't the problem, I know, but the messenger could have done a better job."

Taylor shook her head, "That's a bit of a reach for things to regret, sister. 'I tried to help people in a sub-optimal way'" she added in a poor imitation of Kate. Before Kate could take offense or get upset, Taylor laughed and hugged her out of the blue. "Friends, maybe?" she said.

"I'd like that," Kate answered, blinking away some moisture from her eyes. "Can I ask what brought this on, though? It's been awhile since all of that and so much has happened since."

"I don't know, really," Taylor replied, giving it some thought. "I guess, well, Max just came up out of nowhere the other day and, like, said some really nice things. And I'd really never been anything other than mean to her. Then, last night, I saw you guys chatting in the dining hall, so I figured maybe I could… pay it forward?"

The mention of Max reminded Kate of something important. Leaning forward so no one else could possibly hear her, she asked, "Speaking of Max, can I ask you something?"

Taylor's eyes lit up at the prospect of fresh gossip, no matter how unusual the source. "Of course," she answered.

"Well, you and Victoria are very close, right?"

"I thought we were talking about Max," Taylor said, confused. "But, yeah, VC and I are super BFFs."

Kate paused, considering what to say. This was really the first time she'd ever talked to Taylor and, though Kate was essentially a trusting soul, she was not stupid. She also had no intention of saying anything which might hurt Max or threaten their friendship. Still, her gut told her that she could maybe help her friend if she proceeded carefully.

"I guess, I was just wondering. Victoria was really nice to Max yesterday, but normally she's kind of mean to her…"

"Kind of?" Taylor interject with a snort, "She's a total bitch to Max, even more than she is with everyone else, and I'm her best friend so I can say that!"

"That's kind of what I was wondering, like why is she mean to her sometimes and so nice other times."

The news that Victoria had been nice to Max came as a bit of a shock to Taylor who paused to process this information. True, when they'd seen Max throwing up yesterday, Victoria had been quite concerned. "She needs help. What she went through was horrible," she'd said with real empathy in her voice. Later, though, at dinner, Victoria had spent almost the entire meal glaring at Max and Kate, barely touching her food. A vague idea began to form and a number of puzzle pieces began to shift into a new alignment.

"Max is your BFF, right?" Taylor asked suddenly.

Kate blushed, but nodded, "I guess so. She's the closest thing I have to a BFF, though we're still kind of getting to know each other."

Taylor nodded and asked the most important question, completely disregarding the fact that she and Kate barely knew each other. "And are you guys more than just friends? Or on the way to being more than just friends?"

She had to suppress a laugh at the way Kate's eyes widened and how her ears turned bright red.

"Nnn..noooo!" she insisted. "I mean, I'm not one of those Christians who think there's something sinful about that kind of relationship, but… well, I just don't think of Max that way."

"Not your type, Marsh?" Taylor asked, noting that she'd denied the specific attraction, not the more general version.

Kate dropped her head and stammered, "No, I guess not. I just don't see her that way and I'm pretty sure she doesn't look at me that way either."

"Good!" Taylor exclaimed. "Come with me! We've got some scheming to do!" Ignoring Kate's yelp of surprise, Taylor took her by the elbow and dragged her off towards the dorms, plans swirling in her mind.

[A/N: This one took kind of a right turn once Taylor and Kate interacted. I'd planned on having each chapter equal a day, but I guess there's no real reason for that. This is a good enough length to post and I like to keep the chapters flowing once I'm on a roll with a story. Next time: Max at the Two Whales, Let's Check In With Some Minor Characters, and maybe a little Victoria PoV (though not committing to that just yet… at some point, but maybe not next chapter.) Thanks for reading! Reviews are the author's lifeblood, so if you have the time and inclination, please leave one!]


	5. Wednesday: Dana, Joyce and Daniel

The smell hit her first, that odd mix of burnt coffee, sugar, and smoke. Max scanned the diner as she entered for the first time in over five years. Initially, she felt like nothing had changed at all. Same booths, same counter, same old jukebox, same display case full of mouth-watering goodies. Upon closer inspection, the changes became apparent. The place had aged, much like she had. The vinyl booths looked a bit more faded, the lights a little dimmer, the clientele a bit more worn down perhaps. Maybe the latter was her imagination, or simply Max projecting her own feelings outward.

The long bus ride from campus through streets she hadn't roamed since she'd left had washed away some of the morning's enthusiasm and replaced it with an almost comforting nostalgia. Perhaps her choice of music affected that as well, as the lilting modern folk songs on her current playlist certainly encouraged introspection. As she'd alighted from the bus outside the Two Whales, Max had almost been overwhelmed by the emotion of it all.

After Chloe had died, she'd forced herself to go to the Price's house. Brief glimpses of Joyce, crying in the principal's office while police questioned Max in the antechamber outside made Max face her fears. She'd failed Chloe five years ago; she'd failed her now; but maybe she could try to make up a little to Joyce. Their conversation that day had been very awkward. Joyce, still raw with grief, did her best to put on a strong face, even going so far as to try to comfort Max! The memory brought a smile, as Max realized how very much a second mother Joyce had been to her through the early years of her life. She claimed to understand why Max hadn't reached out to Chloe through all those years and she'd tried very hard not to put any blame on her for what had happened. Max could almost believe that her abandonment of Chloe had nothing to do with her descent into drugs and whatever else she'd gotten mixed up in. Almost.

Now, standing in the entryway, Max resolved to do whatever she could to make it up to Joyce, as little as that might be. The older woman seemed busy in the back of the diner, so Max made her way towards a booth back by the jukebox.

"Max?"

The familiar voice startled Max from her mix of guilt and nostalgia. "Dana? Trevor?"

"Hey Maxarino," the skater boy said in his easy drawl. Even at ten in the morning, he sounded stoned, though his eyes didn't have that characteristic redness. "What brings you to the rough part of town?"

Dana shook her head and added, "How have you been, Max?" The cheerleader noticed Max's eyes drift down to the table where her and Trevor's hands where interlocked. "Um, yeah… so… me and Trev."

Max smiled broadly, "You and Trevor. That's great, Dana!"

"Yeah," Trevor crowed, "I'm the luckiest guy in the world. Justin was kinda upset, but, he'll be cool. Hell, I'd be upset too if someone else got to date the coolest chick in the universe instead of me!"

Dana blushed and shoved his hand, "You're ridiculous," she said with a fond shake of her head. Turning back to Max, she added, "Do you want to join us?"

Max thought about it for a moment. Trevor, and all the skate kids for that matter, had always been nice to Max on those rare occasions she'd interacted with them and Dana really was a sweetie, but the idea of being a third wheel on what was obviously a date did not appeal. "No, thanks, guys. I've got some homework to do." She gestured to her bag. "Enjoy your date!" With that she made her way to the empty booth at the back of the diner.

"Well, look who the cat dragged in." Joyce swept out from behind the bar, set down her coffee jug, and pulled Max into a quick hug. "It's so good to see you again, honey."

"Thanks Mrs. Price," Max mumbled, luxuriating in the hug for a moment before sitting down.

"Joyce, Max Caulfield," she corrected. "How have you been? Doing well in school?"

Max nodded sheepishly. Her grades were ok, but she'd not really thought about them too much lately. "I'm doing alright, Mrs… Joyce, all things considered."

A brief shadow washed over Joyce's face, but she pressed on, "That's good, dear."

"Are you doing ok? I'm sorry that I haven't visited since… you know… the funeral."

Joyce lifted a hand. "Not your job to take care of me, dear, but thank you anyway. I'm doing as well as can be expected and one thing that helps is thinking of my favorite little pirate girl doing great things over at Blackwell."

Max didn't know how much to believe this. Joyce certainly was the type of person to put on a brave front, but Max could only hope that at least some of it was true. As Joyce filled a coffee mug for her, Max decided to go ahead with her investigation.

"I saw Mr. Madsen with you, Joyce. Is he your… are you…"

Joyce sighed and smiled wearily. "Yes, dear, David and I are married. We hitched up a couple years ago." She looked out the window toward the bay, recalling. "You know, after William died, I didn't think I'd ever find someone, but then, well… I guess you never know what life has in store for you."

 _David!_ Score another one for Dream Psychic Max! Between that and the Dana/Trevor 'ship, Max felt certain that the entries could be trusted. That thought brought a rush of adrenaline and hope, especially as she recalled the last entry. With some struggle, Max refocused on the present. Joyce had been so kind to her, really for all her life. Maybe she _could_ find a way to help, even if only a little.

"How is Mr. Madsen doing?"

Max's voice snapped Joyce back as well. A small frown crossed her lips. "Truthfully, Max," she sighed, "I don't rightly know. He took what happened with Chloe pretty hard. They never really got along very well, both headstrong and stubborn. Chlo knew just how to push his buttons. David could get plenty mad at her, but deep down, he really cared for her and for her to die like that, at the school which he's supposed to protect, well, he took that really hard."

Max tried to imagine what it might be like if your job was to protect a school and not only had you failed to do so, but the victim had been your own stepdaughter. It seemed clear that there was no way that anyone could have prevented what happened, but still, Max felt a wash of empathy for the man.

"That's bad enough," Joyce continued, "but then it turned out that David had been spying on our own home." Her voice grew agitated and she threatened to spill coffee all over Max before getting control of herself. "He 'fessed up the day after.. the next day. Cameras all over the house, though not the bedrooms or bathroom, thank God! I always knew he was a little paranoid, but that… well, I'm still not sure what I think of it."

That sounded pretty messed up, Max had to admit. What kind of psycho rigged their own home full of cameras? She had never really interacted much with Mr. Madsen. He had been the first on the scene after Nathan shot Chloe, but he'd been more concerned with trying to find Nathan than comforting Max. He had a creepy vibe, though maybe that was just the mustache. Still, the journal said he was good for Joyce and Max had come to believe that she could trust the journal.

"He was a soldier, right?" she offered gently. "Maybe he has some kind of PTSD or something. I mean, I hate to stereotype soldiers, but well, based on how I feel after just one trauma, I can't imagine what it might be like for someone who saw them every day in a war zone." Max waved away Joyce's look of concern at the mention of her own trauma. "I'm seeing a counselor, and it's helping. Maybe David could use that kind of thing, too. Even at the funeral, I could tell that he loved Chloe a lot and that he loves you, too."

Joyce considered Max's words. "You may be right, Maxie. You may be right." With a sudden smile, she reached out to tussle Max's hair, just like she always used to do. "When did you get so wise, darling? Something in the water in Seattle?"

"I guess," Max replied sheepishly.

"Well, bottle it up and sell it around here! We could use more wisdom in this town. Now, what'd you like? The usual?"

"You remember?"

"Of course, dearie. Belgian waffles, coming up!"

-xxx-

Her tummy full and a spring in her step, Max made her way back to campus. She scanned the paper in her hand: eight entries, two with check marks, three with stars. That left three to examine. Once again, Max resolved not to think too hard about the big one. Strange mixes of hope, anxiety, and what she had to admit was probably some form of lust, swirled in her stomach when she thought about the last entry. Later, Max. Focus!

She'd arrived at the quad outside the main school building in the middle of the lunch period. With no need to supplement the stack of yummy waffles currently digesting, Max had time to continue her quest. 'Aha!' She spotted Daniel sitting under a tree off towards the dorms.

"Hey Daniel, how are you today?" The chipper tone of her voice sounded almost like someone else.

"Ah, Max, I'm alright. How are you?" Daniel set down the sketchpad he'd been scribbling in. Max could see half complete drawings of birds, the building, some of the students playing on the grass.

"Better, I think," she replied. "I hope I'm not interrupting your drawing." She gestured to the sketchpad. "May I see?" Daniel paused momentarily but handed it to her.

"No interruption, Max, and sure, I guess. Nothing as good as any of your photos I'm afraid."

"Don't be ridiculous. These are really good! With photos, you're stuck with the way things really are, but with drawings, you can create whatever you want!"

"I don't know about that," Daniel said, looking away from the unaccustomed praise.

"Hey," Max went on, "the other day you tried to ask me something and I kind of blew you off. Sorry about that."

"You had a lot going on, Max," Daniel protested. "Don't worry about it. I was just going to ask if I could draw you."

 _Let Daniel draw you._ Max's heart stopped for a moment. Six wins, no losses! "Sure, that might be fun," she said quickly, squashing her instincts to demur and flee the scene. "But, why me?"

Daniel raised his palms up and shook his head. "It's nothing weird, I promise. I'm just working on drawing faces and I could really use a female model and you've always been nice to me."

Max thought about this, bringing forth memories of Daniel. She hadn't interacted much with him, which was no surprise given that he may have been even more shy than her. When they had, though, it had always been pleasant. Still, she knew he had spent more time interacting with other people.

"That's sweet, Daniel, and I'm happy to do it, but I have to ask, why not Stella? I thought you guys were friends."

Daniel's sudden blush gave him away in an instant as he stammered, "Well, um.. yes, I guess…"

"Never mind, Daniel," Max reassured him, happy to discover that she could find things out on her own without the help of the journal. "I've got a free period tomorrow afternoon, if that works for you."

"Yes, that would be great," Daniel exclaimed, happy to change the subject. "I'll meet you in the art room at 2."

"It's a date!"

"My god, Ho-field, are you dating every single loser on campus now? Won't your _girlfriend_ be pissed?"

No. Seriously, really?! Max made a mental note never to utter the words 'It's a date' aloud again. They clearly had some sort of magical Victoria-summoning powers. On second thought, having a magic way to summon Victoria did not sound half bad.

"Earth to Ho! Are you even listening to me?"

"Maybe I'd listen if you ever had something useful to say," Max replied without thinking.

She couldn't tell whose eyes went wider at that, hers or Victoria's. As always, the expression on the blonde's face was hard to read, but Max thought she saw the glimmer of a smile and a spark in her eyes.

"I guess getting so much action has got you feeling frisky," Victoria sneered. "You should slow down though. Even with as many dorks as this school has, you'll run out before Christmas."

 _Confident and strong._ The words repeated themselves like a mantra. She could do this. She could stand up to Victoria.

"You know, Vic-bore-ia, if you were any more jelly, we'd need a ton of peanut better to balance you out." Even as she said it, Max could hear how horrifically lame that retort was.

Victoria laughed. "'Vic-bore-ia?', 'peanut butter and jelly?' Really, Caulfield, you need to put a little more work in on your insults if you're going to be worth talking to."

"Maybe you could help me practice?"

Where did that come from? Max had no idea what weird spirit had possessed her in that moment, but given the effects, she extended an open invitation to it. Victoria's cheeks turned bright pink and, for once, words failed her.

"I… you… you'd… Whatever!" Clutching her books to her chest, the Queen of Blackwell dashed off toward the dorms.

Daniel looked up at Max in a mix of wonder and amazement. "Wow, Max, I've never seen anyone get under Victoria's skin like that. Nice job!"

Max struggled to control her heart rate. That conversation easily counted for an entire week's worth of cardio. "So, see you tomorrow?" she managed before drifting off towards the school building. Max had no idea how she'd make it through her afternoon classes.

-xxx-

Just within earshot, two figures ducked back behind the kiosk, peeping no more.

"See?"

"I guess we were right."

"Of course we were. Now, what are we going to do about it?"

"Should we do anything? Maybe we should just wait and see what happens."

"As if. With those two? Even _two_ tons of bricks dropped on their thick heads wouldn't give them a clue."

"I guess that's true. But, what can _we_ do?"

"I have a cunning plan!"


	6. Thurs and Fri: Courtney

_Again, she knelt at the foot of Victoria's bed, palms sweating behind her back, looking up as her mistress paced back and forth. Delicious anticipation tinged with just the right edge of fear warmed her to her core. "You've been naughty, Maxine…" "Yes, Mistress." "Any you know what that means" "Yes, Mistress." But now the two of them were walking across the quad, holding hands, heading slowly back toward the dorms. They both knew what waited at the other end of their walk: locked door, passionate kisses, clothes thrown to the floor. Their steps fell faster and faster still as they all but broke out into a run, unable to wait any more to... Now Victoria was the one on her knees, wrists bound in soft leather behind her, green eyes full of urgent need blazing upward. She resisted the urge to run her hands through that silky blonde hair. No, the time for 'rewards' would come later. "I've been a naughty girl, Ms. Maxine," she whispered. Max trailed her nails down the porcelain skin of her back, leaving faint pink trails. "Yes, you have" and she was really close now and the images flashed more quickly, no more coherent narrative just a succession ofmemoriesanddreamsandhalfcaughtmomentsofherfaceandhereyesandherlegsandhertouchingmepullingmeclosersoclosesocloseyesnowgodnowTorigodIneedyouToriyes yes …._

-xxx—

Max rolled over and looked at her phone on the nightstand. 1:47. 'Crap!' she thought, jumping up. 'I must have dozed off after…' She felt herself blush as she recalled how she'd spent her post-lunch "Study Time." No matter how often she'd been taught how normal such things were, she still felt a little embarrassed afterwards. She had to admit, though, she did feel much more relaxed.

The last few days had been an emotional roller coaster. She hadn't talked to Victoria since their encounter on the quad yesterday, though she did note the blonde girl staring daggers at her during dinner, where she and Kate had been chatting about the day's classes. Still, between that looming journal entry and their conversation, which Max had to admit could actually be classified as "flirty," Max had been on edge the rest of the night. This morning, back to back classes had distracted her and her "Study Time" also seemed to be helping. Sadly, her unexpected nap meant she'd have to hustle to get over to the art room in time for her 'date' with Daniel.

Could Victoria really be jealous of that? Or of the time she spent with Kate? Max recalled the vitriol in Victoria's tone as she'd referred to Kate as her _girlfriend._ Of course, Max didn't think of Kate that way. Not that Kate wasn't super cute and totally awesome, but Max knew she and Kate had way too much in common to be a good couple. She didn't know why, but she'd never thought of Kate as anything other than a friend. For a moment, she worried that maybe Kate thought of _her_ that way, that maybe Max was leading her on, but she dismissed the thought quickly. For one thing, she suspected that Kate was straight, given what she'd heard Kate had gotten up to in that video, when her inhibitions had been erased by Prescott's roofie. Max frowned. Probably best not to make any assumptions based on that shitty incident. Still, even if Kate did like girls, Max knew she didn't like her, like, 'like like' her, at least not like that.

'That's a lot of 'likes' in one sentence,' Max thought. Where the heck had this line of thought started. Oh yes, jealousy, Victoria… Max considered how things might look from Victoria's point of view. She and Kate did spend a lot of time together, heads close, speaking softly only for one another. They had linked arms the other day. Almost all girls who were friends acted like that, though. Victoria and her minions certainly did! Wait, was Victoria more than friends with Taylor, or Courtney, or both?! Max shook her head. Her mind was still running a million miles an hour, maybe because of how she'd let it roam free earlier. Earlier! Crap! Late! Max grabbed her bag and dashed out of her room, counting on Daniel's patience!

-xxx—

Taylor and Victoria hung up the last of the new flyers, one to either side of Courtney's table. Replacing every one of the "End of the World Party" ads with new "Fall Ball" posters across campus had been the work of the entire morning. Of course, the club had been forced to cancel their party after the murder and the scandal. They'd been fortunate at all to be allowed to reschedule it. At many schools, Nathan's actions and the Kate Marsh Incident would have led to the disbanding of the Vortex Club. Multiple letters from successful alumni of both Blackwell and the Club had convinced Principal Wells to focus blame on the individuals involved, not the organization. Even then, the theme clearly needed rethinking, leaving them with the rather boring "Fall Ball" as the easiest-to-implement alternative. Hayden and Zach had, in their annoyingly bro-y way, designed the revised ad campaign to emphasize the "Ball" part of things: Zach focusing on the noun aspect and Hayden on the verb. The Vortex Club had also been 'encouraged' to be a bit more welcoming at this affair, at least for the general admission. The VIP section would remain sacrosanct, or else it wouldn't be a Vortex Club party. After all, Victoria had said, the losers at Blackwell needed something to aspire to.

"You got everything you need, Court?" Taylor asked as her friend skimmed the clipboard in front of her.

"She'll be fine, T," Victoria insisted, "won't you, Courtney?" She flashed a brilliant smile at the girl behind the table.

"I'm good, thanks!" Courtney answered, basking in Victoria's confidence in her. "I know we're supposed to let everyone in, but we can still make them work for it."

"No need to advertise that little fact either," Victoria added.

Taylor sighed, "It's been a rough couple of weeks, V, I think everyone could use the chance to blow off some steam."

Victoria flushed and shot Taylor an angry glare. Taylor knew Victoria well enough to recognize when she was re-directing her anger from herself to others and just ignored it.

Ever anxious to avoid confrontations of any sort amongst her friends, Courtney piped in, "I've got it under control, guys."

As quickly as Victoria's anger had flared, it faded. Taylor realized that was one of the things she loved about her. For all the cool confidence she projected to the world, her emotions ran hot. She had such strong passion for the things she truly cared about, like her art and her friends. 'And maybe something else,' Taylor thought with a devilish glee. On that note…

"Have you guys seen Kate Marsh?"

Both Victoria and Courtney looked over at her with complete bewilderment. "Um, I don't think so," Courtney started before Victoria interrupted.

"Why in the world would you want to talk to that loser?" Victoria asked, suddenly heating up again. "She's probably making out with her _girlfriend_ back in the dorms anyway."

"Girlfriend?" Courtney asked. "Kate's gay?"

"As if I care enough to care!" Victoria snapped. "I've got to get to class anyway." Snapping her heels, she spun and marched off down the east hallway.

Taylor lifted a hand to cover her mouth, fighting to suppress the giggles.

"Taylor, what the hell was that?" Courtney asked.

"I'll tell you later, sweetie," she said, smiling down at her friend. "I've got to run, too. Good luck with the sign-ups." In a much more controlled manner, Taylor gathered up her stuff and headed to class. Just wait till she told Kate about this!

The next couple of hours passed slowly, long bouts of surfing Tumblr and Instagram interspersed with busy chaos as classes let out and students flooded the atrium. Left to her own devices, Courtney found it much easier to be nice to people, adding anyone with even the vaguest interest to the list for the party next weekend. Of course, that was what she was supposed to be doing, but she suspected Victoria might see it differently if she'd been around to observe. Courtney took solace in the fact that it didn't really matter anyway. V would spend the whole night in the VIP Section and never see who came or didn't come to the rest of the dance.

Flipping through her Twitter feed during one of the quiet times, she started when a shadow fell across her phone. She hadn't expected anyone at this time of day, but when she looked up, Courtney saw Max Caulfield reading the new flyer.

"Fall Ball?" the hipster asked.

Courtney knew that, of all the people at the school, the very last one Victoria would want at this party was Max "Lamefield." She really didn't understand what Victoria had against Max. The scrawny brunette certainly seemed harmless enough, but for whatever reason, she set Victoria on edge.

"I wouldn't expect _you_ to appreciate it," she snarked at Max, idly thumbing her screen as if she couldn't be bothered. There, that sick burn should scare the girl off.

For some reason, Max didn't leave, though. "I think it sounds like a lot of fun," she replied gently.

Her tone threw Courtney off. Being bitchy did not come naturally to her. Fortunately, Victoria and sometimes Taylor had no problem ensuring that the "losers stayed in line" (as they'd put it) and Courtney could get away with some tactically deployed Yeah, what she said's or vigorous nods of agreement. In the absence of this support, she found it hard to be mean, but gave it the good ol' Vortex try.

"As if we'd let someone in wearing a lame, hipster outfit like that!" Ouch! That would leave a mark for sure. Words cut like knives!

"Yeah, probably," Max laughed. "I guess I'm not really good at keeping up with the trends."

"I mean, it's not bad," Courtney suddenly interjected, trying to cheer the poor thing up, "you look cute most of the time, you know for just going to class and stuff."

"But not for a big party like this," Max insisted. "You always look so great, Courtney, and your outfits always seem perfect for whatever occasion. Maybe you could help me pick something good to wear?"

Courtney beamed, soaking in Max's praise like an inadequately watered plant slurping water through dry soil. "I'd love to!" she exclaimed. "Your complexion is really pretty and I know we can do something great with your hair. I'd kill for a natural curl like that. I know the perfect place downtown. It's not too expensive, but they have the cutest outfits. Are you busy this weekend?"

"No Saturday plans," Max said, blushing at Courtney's appraisal of her. "That really sounds fun, if you don't mind."

"Don't be silly, it sounds awesome!" Courtney replied, standing up to grab Max's hands in hers. "We can grab the late morning bus. Oh, wait, don't let me forget…" Courtney sat back down and hastily scribbled Max's name onto her clipboard. "There, you're all set."

"Seven for seven," Max whispered mysteriously. Noting Courtney's confused expression, she coughed, "I mean, sounds great, I'll find you after breakfast!"

"It's a date!" Courtney proclaimed happily.

Max's skin went suddenly pale, as she flung her head from side to side scanning the halls. "Guess it only works when I say it," she muttered.

"Hmmm?" Courtney looked up with a quizzical expression.

"Nothing, nothing!" Max waved this off. "See you Saturday!"

-xxx-

The next evening, Taylor, Courtney, and Victoria sat at their accustomed table, in the center of the dining hall, mulling over how to spend their Friday night. An away football game had drawn away the male component of the Vortex Club, either to play or to cheer, along with some of the other girls. These three, however, had seen enough football games and had no desire to drive an hour to watch another.

"I think a girls' night in sounds great, Taylor," Courtney said, agreeing with the suggestion just proffered. "We can pop some popcorn and watch some cheesy movies in our PJs!"

"And talk about girl things," Taylor added with grin Victoria would have recognized as ominous, had she been looking. Instead, she was staring into the corner of the cafeteria. Again.

Courtney finally noticed that Victoria had ceased participating in the conversation and followed her gaze across the room. "Oh, that reminds me. What did you need Kate for, Taylor?"

"Nothing important," Taylor replied with a cryptic smile. "We are just… working on a project together and I needed to check in. "

Victoria snorted in disdain.

"She really is as nice as she seems," Taylor offered. "Nicer, even."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "So glad to hear that everyone loves Kate Marsh all of the sudden. Maybe we should just elect her Prom Queen now and save everyone the trouble of voting."

"V," Taylor said gently, "I know you feel bad about what happened with her. I do, too. So, I apologized, and it really was the right thing to do."

"I'm certain that Kate Marsh's life is going just fine now without an apology from me," Victoria huffed. "Popular friend, hot girlfriend, everyone's favorite…."

"Are she and Max Caulfield dating?" Courtney asked, bewildered at this exchange. Clearly, she'd been left off of a group chat or two.

"No!" "Yes!"

Taylor and Victoria glared at each other as their contradictory answers crashed into each other in the air.

"Max didn't mention it," Courtney noted, thankfully not noticing the sudden glare this comment got from Victoria.

"Mention it when?" Taylor managed to ask, getting the question out before Victoria could, in a much kinder tone.

"Oh, she came by the table to sign up for the party. She all but begged me to help her pick an outfit, so we're going shopping tomorrow."

"You. Are going shopping. With Max Caulfield. Tomorrow." The waves of ice radiating off of Victoria Chase could have frozen lava.

Taylor laid a hand on Victoria's to calm her and smiled at Courtney. "That sounds lovely, C. I'm sure with your help, she'll be the most beautiful girl at the dance. Well, tied with the three of us, of course!" she added. "There will be time to talk about Max Caulfield later, during our girls' night," she continued.

This time, Victoria was paying attention and noted the ominous gleam in her best friend's eyes, but if Taylor spotted the flash of fear in her friend's eyes, she did not comment on it. "Now, what movies should we watch?"

[A/N: Not sure if the first section here counts as "smut" or earns a Mature rating, but I learned a long time ago, better safe than sorry with ratings. Fear not, if you've been looking forward to a Victoria PoV chapter. It is still in the cards. Sorry for the slow burn as well. As I say in my profile, this is probably the only LiS fic I have in me, so I don't want to rush it. I will finish it, fear not! And it will be more than sappy and mushy, as you could guess if you read my other stuff. In other news, I'm on the fence about Marshtensen. On the one hand, I'm all about pairing everyone off happily cause that's how I roll. On the other hand, they work really well as just normal friends and it stands to reason that not EVERY pair of girl friends must inevitably hook up. If you have an opinion or preference, feel free to comment in a review. And yes, I'm aware that this is shameless pandering for reviews and I am unrepentant!]


	7. Friday: Girls Night In

-19:30 hours-T plus 30 minutes-Taylor's Room-

"Popcorn's done!" Taylor announced, setting the bowl on the table in easy reach of her guests. Victoria looked up from casually braiding Courtney's hair while her friend sat on the floor, positioned between her legs.

"About time," the blonde said, harsh words with no bite at all. "What took so long?"

"Nothing," Taylor answered making quick, furtive eye contact with Courtney and nodding subtly. Courtney smiled, but held her head still.

Seemingly oblivious to the silent conversation going on around her, Victoria grabbed some popcorn and leaned back on the couch. "Did we finally agree on a movie?"

"We're not watching anime, V," Taylor chided her, ignoring the embarrassed pout this produced. "Besides, it's not movie time yet. It's girl talk time!"

Courtney clapped her hands eagerly."Ohmigod, I've got the hottest gossip," she started. "Did you guys know that Dana is dating that skater boy Trevor?!"

Settling on the edge of her bed, Taylor relaxed, letting Courtney lead the conversation, just as they'd discussed. She hadn't had a lot of time to brief her, but enough to make sure her friend understood generally what was going on and, more importantly, how she could help. Phase One would be a very delicate operation, probably the most difficult part of the plan, at least on her end. Taylor knew she needed to proceed very cautiously. She loved Victoria dearly, but the girl was a minefield. It might take awhile to get there, but they had the whole night. With the end goal in mind, she helped guide and shape the conversation. Heck, if things went well, maybe she'd be done before Check In.

-20:45 hours-T plus 1 hr 45 min-Max's Room-

Kate set her violin carefully back in its case as Max put her guitar on its stand. "That was fun!" she exclaimed happily. "Playing with you is so much better than practicing by myself." Truthfully, Kate felt a little guilty. She knew she had a mission, but when Max had suggested they 'jam' for a bit, she hadn't been able to resist. Checking the time, though, she saw she was behind schedule. She couldn't check in with nothing at all to report!

"It was!" Max agreed. She moved over to poke a finger into Alice's cage. She'd insisted that Kate bring her furry little buddy along for the sleepover, saying a "road trip" could be fun for her. "Can I take her out of the cage?"

"If you want to," Kate replied.

Max squeaked with delight as she took the rabbit into her arms and showed her around the room. "Now, Alice, if I put you down, do you promise not to eat poor Lisa? What's that? You do promise? Good bunny!"

Kate laughed fondly. Max could be such a goofball. It felt nice to see her friend like this, relaxed, in the moment, just enjoying herself. Kate gazed at Max as she sat on the bed watching Alice tentatively explore the new space. "I haven't had a sleepover since I was ten."

"I know, it's so much fun! I think the last time I did was..." Max paused, her mood shifting almost instantly.

"With Chloe?" Kate prodded gently, moving over to sit next to Max. She laid a comforting arm around her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah," Max murmured. She sighed, worming her way into the crook of Kate's arm. "She would have loved listening to us play." The two young women let silence fill the empty parts of the room where Chloe might have been in a different world.

"Do you think we all might have been friends?" Kate asked eventually.

Max thought about this for awhile. "I'm not sure. I guess she changed a lot from when I knew her. Some of that was my fault, I guess." Kate squeezed her a bit tighter, but didn't interrupt. "But, I'd like think that we would have."

Kate nodded and once again let the silence say the things neither of them really needed to. She knew this was good. Good for her. Good for Max. Even beyond Taylor's plan, moments like this would help them both rebuild themselves on a stronger foundation, ready for whatever lay ahead.

A soft chime from Kate's phone punctured the comfortable quiet.

"Wowzers, it's nine already," Max said. "Time flies when you're having fun, I guess." She made a sad little noise as Kate stood from the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, silly!" Kate insisted. "I just need to... you know..." She looked towards the bathrooms.

Max laughed. "Take a dump?" she teased.

"Max!" Kate turned bright red, which only made Max laugh harder. Kate shook her head admonishing her friend. "You're terrible!"

"Everyone poops, dude," she pointed out mercilessly. "Well, go on. I'll find some fun Youtube videos for us to watch when you get back!" Max shooed her out. Still blushing, Kate headed off to check in.

-18:00 hours-T minus 1 hour-Taylor's Room-

"Ok, we all understand the Plan?" Taylor asked. Kate nodded, an intent expression on her face. Courtney raised her hand tentatively.

"We're not in class, C, you don't have to raise your hand. Do you want me to walk through it one more time?" Courtney nodded, embarrassed, and Taylor sighed. "Ok, Phase One, we have to get them to admit to themselves that they like each other. Like, actually get them to say the words out loud. That's tonight's mission. For Max, that's a two part-er, right Kate? Get her to admit she likes girls in general, and then to admit she likes Victoria specifically."

"I know, Taylor," Kate replied in an uncertain tone. "But, are we sure Max likes girls?"

"We've been through this." Taylor pinched the bridge of her nose. 'Give me patience with these two,' she thought. Aloud, she said, "For the last time, does Max have a crush on Victoria Chase?"

"Yes," Kate admitted.

"And is Victoria Chase, in fact, a girl?"

"Yes," Kate admitted again.

"And therefore?" Taylor demanded.

"Max likes girls." Kate concluded begrudgingly. "Or at least, one girl," she added with an uncharacteristic, if mild, touch of defiance.

"We already know Victoria likes girls," Courtney inserted, happy to show off the fact that she also knew things which were relevant to the conversation. "She came out to us last year."

"We told her about that already, C," Taylor said with a heavy sigh. Patience.

Courtney raised her hand again, before dropping it quickly after a glare from Taylor. "Why is it so important for them to say it out loud?"

"That's actually a really good question," Taylor answered, hoping that didn't come off as bitchy as it sounded. "Both of them live way too much of their lives in their own heads. Saying it out loud gets it out of their heads and makes it real, something that they need to deal with, not just ignore. Which leads us to Phase Two: get them to say it to each other! But that's a problem for another day. Today, Phase One!"

-21:05-T plus 2 hours and 5 minutes-Girls' Bathroom-

As soon as Kate entered, Taylor all but tackled her. "So? Progress report?"

Kate stammered, looking away from Taylor's intense gaze. "Ummm.. well..." 

"You too? Nothing?" Taylor moaned, throwing her head back in frustration. Not for the first time, she wished she'd pushed a little harder for the "loosen them up with some alcohol" part of the plan, but Kate had nixed that immediately, for obvious reasons.

"Not 'nothing'," Kate insisted. "It's been a great night."

"Yeah, we're having a lot of fun, too. Maybe someday all five of us can do a sleepover, complete with pillow fights and maybe a drink or two?" She lowered her head and looked up at Kate like a toddler pleading for a cookie before bedtime.

Kate frowned. Her one experience with alcohol had gone almost as badly as it could have, but she did trust Taylor. Maybe it would be Ok to try again, surrounded by friends she could absolutely trust, like Max and Taylor. "I'll think about it," she offered cautiously. "Pillow fights for sure, though!"

With a happy squee, Taylor hugged her. "I can't wait! First things first, though. We need to focus! How can I help?"

Kate pondered this. "Well, how do I bring up you know... like sexual preference stuff in conversation?"

"'Hey Max, you hot for the vag'?'" Taylor suggested, giggling when sweet mild-mannered Kate Marsh punched her in the arm. "Sorry! Joking! Seriously though, maybe the easiest way is to start yourself. If you put yourself out there, Max won't leave you hanging."

Kate blushed deeply. "You mean, like.. talk about what type of person I like?"

'Person, not boy. Or girl.' Taylor made more mental notes for future Kate conversations than she'd taken in all of her classes combined this year. "Yep, just like that. You talk about you, she'll talk about her. Get her to admit she's out for clam and then that she's out for V's clam specifically and we're golden!"

Kate punched her again, laughing despite her best efforts to look offended. "You're horrible!"

"Yep! Now, we'd better get back or they'll get suspicious."

"I should be Ok," Kate replied without thought, "Max thinks..." She stopped, eyes wide, as her brain caught up to her mouth.

Taylor roared with laughter. "That you're dropping the deuce!? Thanks, Marsh, I'll use that excuse if V gives me any crap. See ya!" Before Kate could recover, Taylor darted back to her room.

-23:00 hours-T minus 4 hours-Max's Room-

"Wowzers," Max whispered. She reached out to squeeze Kate's hand. Her friend had scrunched into the corner of her bed where the walls met, sitting with her knees drawn up under her chin and arms wrapped around her legs.

"Yeah," Kate replied, her voice a little shaky. She felt like she'd just finished a marathon. It hadn't been easy, but once she'd started opening up to Max about her feelings, her longings, all the secret thoughts she'd kept bottled up in her mind for so long... well, the trickle had become a stream had become a torrent. She squeezed Max's hand back, so thankful to have found a true friend at last. 

Max beamed at her, "Seriously, I'm so glad you felt Ok talking to me about that stuff. Did it help you feel better, you know, about life and everything?"

"I think so, yes," Kate felt like someone coming into a warm room from a cold day, shedding layers of woolen sweaters. She owed it to Max to do anything she could to help her feel this sense of relief and acceptance. "How about you, Max?" she asked, prodding gently. "What sort of person do you like?"

Max sighed and blushed, dropping Kate's hand to rub at the back of her elbow, as she always did when nervous. "I guess I had a boyfriend, back in Seattle, kind of," she started, "if holding hands and a couple chaste kisses in middle school counts." She giggled at the memory and laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Kate waited patiently, knowing how sometimes Max got a little lost in her thought process. They'd promised each other that they'd both try to be more confident and sworn to help each other with it. Kate emerged from her corner and shifted to lie down next to Max, intertwining her fingers with hers. "It's Ok," she whispered, "take your time."

Max turned her head and smiled gratefully before returning her gaze to the ceiling. "I know it's crazy and stupid but... I have a crush on Victoria Chase," she finally said with a surprising directness. "Like, a really big crush."

For a moment, Kate panicked. This was supposed to be Part B; she'd skipped Part A! Would Taylor be mad? Gathering her wits, Kate recalled that her goal was to help Max, not execute a plan. Still...

"So, you like girls and you like Victoria." Kate felt Max shift away from her on the bed and looked over, horrified at the look of fear on her friend's face.

"Do you hate me now?" Max choked out. "Please Kate, I know you don't like her and you have every reason not to but I just can't help..."

"No, no, sweetie, no," Kate cooed soothingly, pulling Max into an embrace. "Shhh, it's ok, really. I'm not mad at all. I'm so happy you told me. It's all going to be Ok."

Max buried her head against Kate's chest, sobbing as the emotions of the past two weeks flowed out of her, feeling relieved and afraid and happy and embarrassed and loved all at once. Kate stroked her hair gently and whispered over and over again that everything would be alright. She knew that this was only partially about Victoria, but also about Chloe and Nathan and Mr. Jefferson and about just being a teenage girl far from home. Kate certainly understood. Her own tears moistened Max's hair as she held her friend tight, as much for her own sake as for Max's.

A long while later, she whispered, "Max, umm. There's something I need to tell you." Kate realized she was going off script, but after tonight, she knew she could not keep secrets from Max, especially something like this. "I hope you're not mad. I don't think you will be, but.. I need to tell you in any case."

Max sniffled and reluctantly rolled away. "What is it?"

"Well, I guess it started the other day when Taylor came by to apologize..."

-23:45 hours-T plus 4 hours 45 minutes-Taylor's Room-

As the end credits rolled, Taylor decisively grabbed the remote and shut off the TV. Despite her best efforts, Victoria had insisted that they actually watch a movie instead of just 'gossiping' all night. Taylor had decided to affect a tactical retreat, knowing that the long hours around midnight would be more conducive to Phase One anyway. Now, as the clock pushed twelve, it was time to get back on track!

"Enough staring at screens!" she declared in a voice disquietingly similar to her mother's. "Time for the good stuff, let's play a game."

"Are we twelve?" Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow sardonically. Meanwhile, Courtney clapped her hands happily.

"Just shut up and play, V." Taylor overrode Victoria's dissent and plowed forward.

"Are we going to spin the bottle?" Victoria teased, knowing how the threat would rattle Courtney. That girl was straighter than the pole her mom... no, that was too mean, even for Victoria.

"We could," Taylor replied, raising the stakes, "but we'd need some more players. I think Kate and Max are around."

Whatever reaction she'd expected paled in comparison to the one she got.

"Enough!" Victoria shouted, standing right in Taylor's face. "Enough of this bullshit, Taylor! I know you're up to something. You really think you two can plot and scheme behind _my_ back. Tell me right now what the hell is going on!"

"V, please, calm down," Courtney pleaded from the floor, completely ignored. She buried her face in her hands.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Taylor tried, but Victoria would have none of it.

"Fuck that! Spill it, T. What the fuck are you doing hanging out with Kate Marsh? What the double fuck is _she_ doing going shopping with Fucking Max Fucking CaulFuckingField." She gestured rudely toward Courtney.

"Fine!" Taylor snapped. She'd tried to be nice, to take the gentle path, but if this is how Victoria wanted it, so be it. "We're just trying to help you get your fucking head out of your fucking ass for one fucking second." She could be just as creative with adjectives as Victoria Chase could!

"You have something you want to say to me, T?!"

"No, you raging bitch! YOU have something to say!"

"Do I now? And what pray tell might that be?" Slight cracks started to ripple through Victoria's wall of rage and indignation as she began to suspect where this might be going.

With great force of will, Taylor paused, taking a deep breath and controlling her voice. She reached out and took Victoria's hands in her own. "V, please... we know you like her and there's nothing wrong with that. Just … just own it. It will be so much better when you do. I promise."

Victoria couldn't hold Taylor's gaze, She stared at their hands, making only a feeble effort to pull hers back. Her breaths started coming in ragged bursts. "I... I can't... I mean.. I don't..." For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if Victoria might break down completely, but from somewhere deep inside, she drew upon hidden reserves of bitterness and found her voice again. "I have no idea what the hell you expect of me, T!"

Having conquered her anger, Taylor knew she had to keep it together. One of them had to stay calm, or it really would all go to hell. Courtney squeezed her knees and rocked back and forth on the floor, completely overwhelmed by the raw emotions swirling in the small room. Another deep breath, another gentle squeeze. "It's ok, V. It's not..." She stopped herself from saying 'It's not a big deal' because she knew it was for Victoria, the biggest deal. "Just please, trust me, V. We love you and want you to be happy that's all." Sadly, history would judge that this had not been the correct dialog option.

Victoria's eyes flashed dangerously and she yanked her hands away, staring with a vicious air of malice and disgust which Taylor knew Victoria directed at herself, not anyone else. "Like I deserve to be happy!" She cackled nastily. "I know what I deserve, T, and it sure as all fucking hell isn't that. Fine! You want me to say it, you want to hear it. Fine." Her voice dropped to an ice-cold whisper. "I'm in love with Max Caulfield. Are you happy now?"

Just as quickly as it had flared, the rage transmuted to misery. Tears fell freely down Victoria's face as she pushed past Taylor with a tortured sob and ran out the door and down towards her own room. Courtney sobbed as well, crying pitifully by the bed.

Still in a daze, Taylor felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Pulling it out she saw a new text message from Kate: a simple thumbs up emoji.

"Fuck me," she said to no one in particular. "What now?"


	8. Fri and Sat: Victoria

'Goddammit, Nathan, how could you do this?'

She knew her best friend wasn't right in the head, and so blaming him only made Victoria feel even more guilty. And so, she cycled down through the familiar spiral of disgust, anger, guilt and self-loathing. Ever since that party, when she'd suspected that something odd was going on with Kate Marsh, through the shooting, the aftermath, the funeral, blaming him then hating him then blaming herself then hating herself, over and over it went.

Desperately she tried to recall the good times, to find some dim moments of light to keep the darkness at bay: the first time they'd snuck away from one of their parents' charity galas, sneaking cigarettes in a service hallway; her first day at Blackwell when he'd introduced her to the rest of the Vortex Club, putting her on the pedestal she'd occupied ever since; comforting her after her stupid, humiliating attempt to kiss Rachel (why had she ever opened herself up to rejection like that?), helping her re-frame it as the result of too much alcohol (it hadn't been). He'd been the first person she'd ever told, she'd been the first person he'd ever told, both knowing that the other was the only person who could ever understand, who knew what it would be like if their parents found out. Taylor and Courtney could say all they wanted about how it was natural and normal and how society had changed, but they'd never met her parents.

"Fucking Taylor," Victoria snarled into her pillow, wiping away tears. She could imagine how she looked, make-up smeared all over her face, bedraggled and pitiful like some simpering wretch from a bad romance novel. Why the hell did Taylor have to be so goddamned perceptive? Why couldn't she be more like Courtney and do what she was told? "Fucking Taylor… fucking Nathan… fucking Me," she concluded, swirling again from anger to misery in a heartbeat.

"You should apologize to Kate," she sneered in a nasty imitation of Taylor's voice. As if. She'd known. She could lie to herself almost as well as she could lie to everyone else, but Victoria knew that somewhere deep down, she'd known. Nathan had slipped her something. The way she was acting, after just one or two sips of vodka, there was no way. So much easier, though, to ignore the obvious and blame Kate instead, for being stupid enough to take a drink from someone at a party, for even going to a party in the first place, for trusting people, for being so pure of heart and sanctimonious with her Abstinence Club and her tea dates with Max and her angelic violin playing and her fucking cute-as-fuck pet bunny. So, she hadn't stopped it. Instead, she'd recorded it, and posted it, and used it to tear Kate Marsh down, to punish her for being a better person than Victoria could ever hope to be, to break her the way Victoria knew she herself deserved to be broken.

She'd done nothing to help Kate. Then, she'd done nothing to stop Nathan. He'd shown her the gun, said he was only going to scare some girl who was trying to blackmail him. She hadn't asked about the specifics, because she hadn't wanted to know. She'd known how unstable he could be, but she'd trusted him, because that was easier than confronting him. And then the motherfucker had gone and shot the girl dead. And then he confessed to that whole horrible business with Mr. Jefferson. The worst part was that Nathan had known what she thought of Jefferson, how she ached for his approval, his blessing on her work, which she knew was crap but somehow if the great Mark Jefferson gave it his stamp of approval then maybe it wasn't shit, except he didn't because it was, because she was shit and he always said that photographs reflected the soul of the photographer as much as the soul of the photographed and her photos sucked because she sucked and so she spiraled again…

Victoria fell back on the bed, burying her face deep into her pillow. The person she'd admired so much had turned out to be a murdering psychopath. Her best friend had been his accomplice, willing or not. She could pretend that it was "Bad Nathan" who'd done those things, not "Good Nathan" who was her best friend, but who did she think she was fooling. Just because no one called her out directly for her complicity didn't mean she bore no blame. She could have done something. She should have done anything.

Which brought her to the cherry on top of this shit sundae. Nathan had not killed some random townie; he'd killed Max Caulfield's best childhood friend. Victoria drew a perverse sense of joy from how horrible she'd felt when she found out, because she knew she deserved only the very worst that life could offer. She felt the knives stab into her chest and lovingly twisted them, relishing the pain she'd earned. That's why she'd gone to the funeral, so she could bask in the misery of the Price girl's family and friends, forcing herself to watch every tear fall, to hear every sob or cry, to absorb each iota of their pain and loss into whatever void sat inside her where a soul should have been. Especially Max Caulfield. The very last girl she'd ever want to hurt, the very first one she attacked at every opportunity.

From the first time she'd seen her, she'd felt the attraction. Watching her go through life, not caring what other people thought of her, being kind to everyone, even the losers who had nothing to offer, taking breathtaking photos with a fucking archaic monstrosity, Victoria hated how much she envied her. How could someone with so much talent, so much inner character, be such a stuttering, shy mess, never even able to put together a coherent sentence. Victoria hated how effortlessly beautiful Max was. She spent an hour every morning just getting her makeup and clothes passable, but Max Fucking Caulfield rolled out of bed, pulled on her dumb hipster hoodie and looked ethereal and radiant. On a deep, primal level, Victoria wanted Max more than she'd ever wanted anyone in her life, to pull her into a tight embrace and kiss her so hard her adorable little freckles fell off. In those corners of her mind she ignored as much as possible, she longed to just let Max hold her tight, to stroke her hair and tell her she wasn't a horrible person. Of course, she knew she _was_ a horrible person who did not deserve to even look at someone as kind as Max Caulfield…

So, she attacked, every chance she got, she attacked, striking out to make sure that she was always in front, always on top, never vulnerable, never at risk of letting herself get lost in those soft eyes or stumbling over her words like the lovesick teenager she was, never at risk of opening herself up to the kind of rejection and humiliation she'd felt years ago, the first and last time she'd let herself take a chance. Usually, it worked.

This week, though, something had changed. Max didn't avoid her the way she used to, didn't back down immediately, stammering over confused apologies. She'd stood her ground. 'Hell, she'd even…flirted?' Victoria realized, feeling her breath catch in her chest. Twice now, Max had seen right through her, calling her out on her jealousy over Kate. Victoria couldn't pinpoint the exact date that Max and Kate had started dating, but clearly they were, walking arm in arm, sitting together at dinner like young lovers every night, rubbing her face in it at every opportunity. Victoria felt certain she'd not betrayed even a hint of how deeply that development had hurt her, but somehow Max had spotted it and, worse yet, called her on it.

But then, why had she made that comment about Victoria helping her with her insult game, which truly did need a lot of work. (Peanut butter? Really?) What had been going on in that moment at the dorm, after Victoria had walked her back from the counselor's office? The memory of Max zoning out and then puking on the lawn brought fresh tears to Victoria's eyes, especially as she thought about how it was all her fault. Watching Kate Marsh go and comfort Max, convince her apparently to get the help she clearly needed, had been another dagger to the heart. Ms. Marks could say all she wanted about how Victoria needed to realize that everything wasn't her fault, but she still didn't believe that.

Victoria recognized another cycle beginning and struggled to avoid another trip to the depths. She recalled the surge of adrenaline when Max had stood up to her for once, the chills she'd gotten as Max had stood up for that loser Daniel, met her glare for glare. Her heart raced recalling that feel of give and take, passion sent and passion received. Sadly, it seemed she was too late. Someone far more deserving had beaten her to the punch.

" _Are she and Max Caulfield dating?"_

" _No!" "Yes!"_

How the hell did Taylor know anything about Kate and Max? Why had she been hanging out with Kate so much, even apologizing to her? There could only be one explanation: Taylor had gotten sick of Victoria's act, had finally seen through her completely, and decided to find some better friends, people who deserved to have friends.

" _Just… just own it."_

Had she really said it out loud? Why had Taylor been so fucking insistent that she say it? To humiliate her? Taylor was her best friend, her best female friend anyway. Victoria didn't know what Nathan was to her anymore. And now her other friend was taking Max shopping? How had Max and Kate so quickly dismantled and conquered Victoria's social circle? Maybe hating her would be the thing that bound them all together. "Ohmigod, can you remember when we used to be friends with that loser?" "I know, right? Such a bitch." "I can't believe you two just followed her around when she treated you like crap. Self-respect much?" And they'd all laugh and link arms and head off to be perfect and sweet and cool and beautiful together. And Victoria would skulk back to her room, alone, unwanted, like she deserved.

She smiled at the thought.


	9. Saturday: Kate and Victoria

_As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. (1 Peter 4:10)_

Kate stood outside Victoria Chase's doorway, hand trembling in the air. 'Confidence and strength,' the phrase that had become a mantra to her and Max over the past week echoed in her head, along with verses from her bible study about the importance of serving others. Behind the door, the woman who had done more than anyone other than Nathan Prescott himself to hurt her, to drive her to the brink of horrors she'd tried her best to forget. Kate tried to reconcile her memories of that Victoria Chase, the imperious Queen of Blackwell, taunting and mocking her day-in and day-out with the broken shell of a girl she'd seen this morning.

After sending the thumbs-up emoji last night, Kate had been disappointed to receive only the cryptic response, "Ph 1 technicly complete, but complicated fill you in at brkfst." She and Max had heard some doors slamming but hadn't ventured out of her room. Max had greeted the news that she and Taylor believed Victoria liked her with far less surprise than Kate had expected. After Kate's confession, they'd taken Max and Victoria's mutual interest as a given and instead discussed what it meant. Both girls found it hard to trust Victoria, for very good reason, but each also had reason to believe that there was more to Ms. Chase than what she showed to the world. Max recounted how kind Victoria had been to her, waiting for her after her first appointment with Ms. Marks and walking her home. Kate relayed what she'd learned from Taylor, how much pressure Victoria put on herself to be perfect at all times, how poorly she reacted to that pressure sometimes. Kate, of course, knew how important it was to try to understand others and forgive them for their mistakes, especially those who had hurt you. Max understood that as well, but, for both girls, the theory came much easier than the practice.

Max and Kate had met Courtney and Taylor in the cafeteria at breakfast, both surprised to note that Victoria was nowhere to be seen. Courtney regaled Max with her plans for their shopping expedition while Taylor quietly filled Kate in on the salient details of her evening, of how the act of confessing her love for Max had driven Victoria to tears and chased her from the room. Courtney clearly had no interest in reliving the ugly scene from the night before, so Max helped by giving her something else to discuss, but Kate knew that Max also paid close attention to Taylor's story. Taylor didn't understand Victoria's reaction, but as she relayed the conversation, Kate began to develop some theories.

Courtney had drawn Taylor into her conversation with Max when it happened, so only Kate noticed. Across the cafeteria, holding her tray in shaking hands, Victoria stared at their table. For a moment, Kate felt sure that she'd drop it entirely, but instead, Victoria set the tray down on top of a trash can and fled, a look of abject defeat and misery on her face.

Which brought Kate back to the present, standing uncertainly outside Victoria's door, trying to find the strength inside herself to be the person she wanted to be. With a deep breath, she knocked, softly at first, then a bit more firmly.

"Victoria? Are you there?" she called.

"Go away," a muffled voice replied.

"Victoria, please," Kate pleaded, laying her head against the door to try to hear better. Her instincts screamed at her to give up, the worst parts of her insisted that she'd tried, she'd done her part and could go in good conscience. 'Confidence and strength.'

Behind the door, she heard someone moving around and then a click as the door unlocked. When she realized that Victoria had no intention of actually opening the door, Kate turned the knob and cracked it open enough to peek in. Drawn curtains left the room in deep shade, illuminated mostly from the light seeping from behind Kate in the doorway. Victoria sat on her desk chair, hands folded in her lap, staring at the floor.

"What do you want, Marsh?" Victoria asked, trying to affect her typical harsh tone. Her voice matched her demeanor, though, tired and cracked.

Kate stepped inside, closing the door behind her and sat down on the couch across from Victoria. The ideas and theories she'd been concocting suddenly blossomed in a moment of true insight, a revelation. "I want your forgiveness, Victoria," Kate murmured. "I'm truly sorry."

Victoria's eyes blazed as she looked up suddenly. "Is this some sort of sick joke?" she barked. "You want _me_ to forgive _you_?"

Kate nodded, meeting Victoria's gaze, resisting the urge to look away. "Yes. It was just easier to assume that you did the things you did because you were mean, safer to focus on being the victim instead of trying to understand."

"Fuck that," Victoria snapped, "seriously? You're going to blame the victim? Haven't you been paying attention to the world? We don't blame victims. I treated you like shit. I'm a bully, a nasty fucking bitch."

"I'm not blaming myself for the way you treated me," Kate tried to explain.

"I think you are," Victoria replied. "Is this some bullshit way of making me apologize to you? Some martyr bullshit?" As always, attacking came naturally, so much safer than the alternative.

"I don't know, maybe it is," Kate admitted, "but I do feel bad. You're obviously in pain, you obviously need help, and I never let myself notice till today."

"Fuck you and fuck your pity, Kate. I'm fine. I'm always fine. I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help." As if reciting an oft-rehearsed speech, Victoria rattled through her mantra. "I'm Victoria Chase and I don't need anyone." The loneliness inside her threatened to choke the words out of her throat, but she sputtered through them, hoping Kate didn't hear the hitch in her voice.

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to fucking believe me, Marsh. You need to fucking leave me the fuck alone."

Kate ignored the profanity, recognizing it as an attempt to scare her away. "I care about you, Victoria," she said with a quiet determination. "I want to help you."

"I said 'Fuck off'," Victoria shouted. "Go and hang out with your new friends, with your fucking girlfriend, go and live your new 'I'm Kate Marsh, popular girl, survivor of the nasty bitch, saint of the fucking school' life and leave me alone!"

"Max is not my girlfriend," Kate informed her calmly, "and I'm not leaving."

Victoria stood up and moved in front of Kate, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Go away! I don't want you here; I don't want your pity or your help or your forgiveness."

Kate reached up and took Victoria's hands firmly in her own. "Well, too bad, because I do forgive you," she said. "But it won't do any good until you forgive yourself."

"Why are you doing this?" Victoria's voice broke and tears fell freely down her face. "Why do you care about me? How can you forgive what I did to you…."

Kate rose and drew Victoria into a hug. "I don't know, Victoria, but I do. I'd rather be friends than enemies." Kate considered adding something along the lines of 'If you're going to date my best friend, we should be friends, too,' but knew it was not her place to tell Victoria how Max felt about her.

At first, Victoria resisted the hug, pushing feebly at Kate, mumbling against her shoulder, but finally she relented. It felt so nice to be held. Kate slowly became aware that her protests had faded, replaced with a stream of apologies. "I'm so sorry, Kate, I'm so sorry…"

"I know you are." Kate stroked Victoria's hair, soothing her as best she could. She noted in a detached sort of way how comfortable she'd become with physical contact over the past week, blaming Max fondly for that development. Kate's own emotions continued to swirl, waiting patiently below the surface for these Max and Victoria issues to sort themselves out, for their time to shine forth.

After a long while, Victoria sniffled and pulled away gently. "I still don't understand," she said.

"I'm not sure I do either," Kate admitted, "but I know I feel better now that we're friends."

"Are we?"

"I hope so," Kate laughed.

"I thought that you guys…" Victoria began, unable to articulate the fear she'd felt seeing her most dreaded fantasy from last night come true this morning. "I thought…"

"Taylor and Courtney love you so much, V," Kate answered, unconsciously picking up Taylor's habits. If Victoria noticed or minded, she didn't say. "They're really worried about you after last night."

"If they're so worried, why are you here instead of them?" Victoria snorted, falling back into her more typical manner.

Rather than be offended at the tone, Kate took this as a good sign that Victoria was pulling herself together. "Taylor wanted to come, but I insisted. She's probably peeking down the hall right now, or staring at her phone, waiting for one of us to report."

Victoria giggled a bit, voice still marked by fragile emotions. "Sounds about right. What about Court?"

Kate flushed, recalling where Courtney was and worried that the news would cause a relapse. "Well, she's umm… she and Max…" She winced at the glint in Victoria's eyes.

"Oh yes. The shopping date." Ice cold.

"Not a date," Kate pointed out quickly. "Max and I are both trying to make new friends, to be more confident, and so she asked Courtney to help her pick out an outfit for the party next weekend."

Victoria nodded reluctantly. "A very effective way to worm your way into Courtney's heart, but why the sudden interest in joining our little friend groups together?"

Kate found it suddenly hard to read Victoria's emotions, which she also chose to see as a good thing, if only because it seemed more normal for Victoria.

"It's just kind of happening. Max reached out to Taylor to ask about her mom, then Taylor apologized to me, and then Taylor and I started…."

"Working on your project together," Victoria concluded for her, suspiciously eyeing Kate but gesturing for her to continue.

"Mmmhmmm, and when Max signed up for the party, she and Courtney chatted and decided to go shopping together."

"And now you're here 'apologizing' to me," Victoria summarized. "I still think there's something you're not telling me about this 'project' but I'm not going to ask. If I deserved to know, I would." This last bit dripped with a sudden bitterness which made Kate wince.

"It's not that, Victoria, really, it's just… well, … it's not my place to tell you and not really Taylor's either."

"Tell me what?" Victoria demanded. "Is it about Max?" Her blood raced as the smallest flicker of a hope long since extinguished sparked back to life.

"I think you should ask Max that, when she gets back," was all Kate would allow herself to say. She tried to give Victoria a hopeful expression, but the blonde girl was gazing into empty space, pondering.

"Fine," she said finally. "I will also ask Max how in the hell she knew about Taylor's mom."

'How _did_ Max know about Taylor's mom?' Kate considered. She'd not really thought about that before, but now that Victoria brought it up, it did seem strange.

"Now, I'd better let T know that we're Ok." Victoria had pulled out her phone, thumbing out a text. "And apologize to her too, I guess. I was pretty rude last night," she added in a quieter tone.

Kate nodded, happy to see that Victoria had not rebuilt her walls completely, even if she was acting more like she usually did. With one last reassuring smile, she left and went back to her room where she collapsed on her bed. All this teen drama was exhausting!


	10. Saturday: Teasing Max and Victoria

'What a week,' Max thought, doing up the last button on the silk blouse Courtney had tossed over the door of the changing room. 'If someone had told me two weeks ago that I'd be trying on clothes with Courtney Wagner…'

Shaking her head gently to refocus on the present, Max adjusted the collar and stepped out of the stall, carefully watching for Courtney's initial expression. She'd learned over the past few hours that Courtney found it hard to criticize, instead trying to find the positive in every outfit. While endearing, this was not incredibly helpful, but fortunately, Courtney had a lousy poker face and her first reaction told the entire story about each outfit. Based on that, she had a winner.

"Oh Max," Courtney enthused, "you look great in that!"

Max moved to stand in the mirrored alcove, turning this way and that to see this latest ensemble from every angle. Max had resisted Courtney's initial attempts to dress her in short skirts or long sundresses, just because she'd never really felt comfortable in such outfits. After some good-natured grumbling, Courtney had come up with this alternative: a green silk blouse with white lace trim at the collar and at the end of the sleeves along with a burgundy pair of slacks.

With great reluctance, Max had to agree. She did indeed look fantastic, almost like a different person. 'I wonder if this is what that person from the different world dressed like,' Max considered. Even now, trying as hard as she could to be strong and confident, to live up to the promises that she and Kate had made to each other this week, her first instinct was to get out of these clothes as quickly as possible and hide back inside her logo T-shirt and grey hoodie. She typically dressed as she lived, camouflaged to hide in plain sight.

"We should get you a light white cardigan to throw over it," Courtney suggested. "It might be chilly the night of the party and that blouse is a bit sheer."

Max blushed, realizing what Courtney was implying, and quickly glanced down to see if the cold air had caused any interesting parts of her anatomy to stand at attention. Courtney giggled and whispered, "You're good, silly, but that does remind me that we need to get you some new lingerie. You can't wear granny panties or a Target bra under _that_."

"'New' implies that there is old," Max joked, trying to fight back the urge to flee from the embarrassment of discussing her underwear with a member of the Vortex Club. "Besides, I doubt it matters what I'm wearing underneath."

"You never know," Courtney replied in a teasing sing-song, "maybe you'll get lucky. You never know who you might meet at a Vortex Club party."

Max looked up, making eye contact in the mirror with the girl behind her. "Um, I think we both know who I'm going to meet at the party. It's not like you didn't make a list of names or anything."

"Yeah, but maybe there will be a certain special someone who might sweep you off your feet," Courtney continued, her voice laden with innuendo of the elementary school variety. "Maybe some secret admirer perhaps?"

Max rolled her eyes and turned to face Courtney, a quizzical half-smile on her lips. "Courtney, you do remember that we spent most of the morning talking specifically about Victoria and me, right? Remember? Kate filled me in last night and then we talked at breakfast... Taylor made a huge deal about having me admit, that yes, I do indeed have a crush on Victoria Chase, something for which I will extract vengeance someday by the way, on both her and Kate, that scheming little minx. Remember how Taylor explicitly told you to find something today that would… let me see if I can get the quote right… 'drench V's panties' and how Kate almost spilled her tea in her lap? Remember how I proceeded to punch Taylor repeatedly until you pulled me away? Any of this ringing a bell?"

Courtney huffed and pouted. "You're really no fun at all. I bet Taylor is having all sorts of fun teasing Victoria."

-xxx-

"I'm not going to apologize, V," Taylor insisted, crossing her arms defiantly. "I'm your best friend and that means I have to look out for you, even… no, _especially_ when you're the problem!"

Victoria glared at her. "So, what I understand you to be saying is that, if… no, _when_ I figure out your secret crush, I am obligated as your best friend to plot and scheme to help make that happen." Victoria smiled suddenly and the gleam in her eye gave Taylor a foreboding shiver.

After being peremptorily summoned via text, Taylor had come down to Victoria's room uncertain of what to expect. As astute as ever at reading a situation, she had been relieved to deduce immediately that Kate and Victoria had sorted things out. She noted the telltale tracks of tears on the cheeks of both girls, the hesitant smiles and waves as Kate had excused herself and the obvious change in Victoria's posture and bearing. For the first time in a long time, Victoria really looked like Victoria. What Taylor had been less prepared for was Victoria _being_ Victoria.

"I don't have a secret crush," Taylor insisted. As she said the words, she felt a strange lurch in her belly, the kind she got when she told a lie, though she hadn't thought she'd been lying. The confusion this generated flashed like a beacon to Victoria's malicious delight.

"Oh really? Seriously, T, you never could lie to me. I _will_ find out and when I do, I _will_ extract my revenge."

"Revenge for what? For helping you get laid?" Taylor snickered. The blush this caused made her laugh all the more.

Victoria coughed lightly to cover her loss for words. "That's a bit ahead of ourselves, isn't it? Just because you got me to admit…"

"That you have a huge lady boner for Max Caulfield," Taylor filled in helpfully.

Victoria glared again, but the slightest shy little smile at the corners of her lips gave her away. "… that I may have a romantic interest in Maxine…"

"Not quite the way I put it, but, do continue."

Victoria plowed forward. "Just because I like _her,_ doesn't mean she likes _me,_ or that we are…"

"I thought we were past that," Taylor said. "You like her, she likes you, you guys will make a disgustingly cute couple, what's the problem?" Taylor noticed Victoria staring at her, eyes wide.

"What the fucking fuck do you mean she likes me?"

Noting the confusion and disbelief on her friend's face, Taylor stepped forward and took Victoria's hands in her own. "Sweetie, I thought Kate told you."

"She said I should talk to Max, but I assumed that meant I should apologize to her for how nasty I always am," Victoria said in clipped tones, still trying to wrap her brain around this new information.

"Well, yeah, that's not a bad idea, too, but no, honey, no, I wouldn't have done all this if I hadn't thought she liked you too. I'm not that mean."

"I am," Victoria replied automatically.

"No, you're not," Taylor objected. "Not any more, right?"

"I don't know," Victoria admitted. "I don't want to be that person any more, not after seeing what it could lead to. I don't want to end up like Nathan."

"You're nothing like him, V," Taylor insisted, squeezing Victoria's hands. "He's not well, we all knew that. He needs help and maybe now he can get it, now that his fucking parents can't just ignore everything. But you're not him. Sure, you could be a…"

"A total bitch?"

Taylor paused, but couldn't disagree. "Yeah, I suppose, but it's not like the rest of us didn't do our parts. I certainly never stopped you. I guess… I just… I'm tired of being a mean girl, V, and I think you are too."

Victoria sighed heavily and lowered her gaze. "I am," she agreed. "But… how could Max like me? I've been such a shit to her."

"Maybe she gets off on it?" Taylor joked, yelping as Victoria kicked her suddenly. "Kidding! Kidding! Seriously, though, you're a total catch, babe! Smoking hot, super smart, dressed to kill, what's not to love? Maybe she saw through your BS to the sweetie underneath. She's pretty sharp."

Victoria flushed at the praise but did not look convinced.

"Why do you like her, V?" Taylor asked.

"She's so fucking hot!" Victoria groaned. "With those fucking freckles and that hair. And you've seen her photos, right? With that Polaroid? Imagine what she could do with some real equipment." She paused, and her voice grew quieter. "She's everything I'm not, T. She's sweet and kind and she doesn't care what anyone thinks. She just lives her life the way she wants to."

"She cares what you think, I bet," Taylor teased. "I bet right now she's trying to find the perfect outfit to drive you nuts at the party." She ignored Victoria's disbelieving snort and pressed on, enjoying how easy it had become to turn her best friend pink. "Imagine it, V, maybe in that vintage clothing shop Court loves so much, you know, with those little changing rooms and the mirrors… shrugging off her hoodie, and pulling her T-shirt up over her head…"

"Get out!" Victoria shouted, as red as Taylor had ever seen her. The blond girl shoved her friend playfully towards the door. "Just you wait, T… one day… "

"'Try it without the bra, Max,' Courtney says. 'Ok, if you think so,' she says in that shy little way, as she reaches behind herself…"

"Out! Now!" More blushing, more pushing.

With a triumphant laugh, Taylor flounced out of Victoria's room. Who knew it would be this much fun teasing Victoria!

"Oh, and hey, T?" Victoria called from the doorway. Taylor turned, amazed at the uncharacteristically soft expression on her friend's face. "I'm sorry, about last night," Victoria said quietly.

"I know, V, me too."

-xxx-

Victoria spent the rest of the afternoon recovering from the onslaught that was Taylor Christensen. She'd had quite a week. 'If someone had told me two weeks ago that Max Caulfield had a crush on me…' she considered. Truthfully, she didn't know what she'd have done. 'Probably destroyed whoever told me that,' she admitted to herself. That Victoria seemed like a different person, given all that had transpired. Taylor was right, she did not want to be a mean girl any more. She'd learned all too well where that path led. She'd seen true evil in what that scumbag Jefferson had done and real tragedy in what had happened to the Price girl, to Nathan, even to Rachel.

The last hurt her to admit. She hated Rachel Amber so much. Victoria marveled again at the strength of character Kate Marsh must have to forgive what she'd done to her. How much less a sin to reject an unwanted advance, albeit poorly, and yet Victoria had never been able to forgive it. She'd carried the humiliation of that rejection for so long; only now did she realize that it no longer mattered. Rachel was dead, cruelly abused and murdered, far beyond any retribution Victoria could ever have wished upon her. The weight of perspective crushed the thin walls of angst and drama she'd constructed inside herself. But what was left?

'I like Maxine and she likes me.' Victoria started with this basic premise. Taylor had told her this, but she'd read the same message in the things Kate had been unwilling to say. Victoria noted the differences between the two girls, smiling to herself. For so long, Taylor had spent her days in a fog, worried about her mom's illness, unable to be her typically vivacious self. It felt nice to see the old Taylor re-emerging. 'The old Taylor and the new Victoria,' she mused, "an unstoppable duo!' She felt a twinge of guilt and realized she'd left out poor Courtney. 'I hope you never change, Courtney,' she thought. 'The old Taylor, the new Victoria, and the normal Courtney, an unstoppable trio!'

This too though felt incomplete. Victoria recalled her comment to Kate about friend groups merging and realized that it wasn't happening. It had already happened. Kate and Max and Courtney and Taylor, sitting together at breakfast, had looked like they'd been friends for years. Was that just this morning? 'Long day,' she realized. Unlike what she'd thought then, though, Victoria now realized there was a place for her in that group, too. She wasn't the only person changing because of recent events. Kate and Max had also decided to change for the better. What had Kate said? Something about trying to be more confident and make new friends. So much change in the air, but maybe that's just what Blackwell needed, a strong wind to blow away the old stale air of the place.

'Like a vortex,' she considered, smiling. Of course, Kate and Max would have to join the Vortex Club. It only took a few moments for Victoria to devise a scheme to convince Hayden and the others. They'd take direction and do what they were told. The Vortex Club needed new blood anyway, to restore its justly damaged reputation. That would sell the reluctant, if nothing else. Then, she and Max could both spend the party in the VIP section, doing the things that went on in the VIP section….

Nope. She stopped her train of thought from heading out towards that particular station. First things first, she liked Max and Max liked her. Now what? She knew she still had to apologize to Max, but that didn't seem like the best way to start a relationship. New Victoria and all, she remained Victoria Chase. It would not do to crawl on hands and knees to Max, begging pathetically. Images swirled in her mind and Victoria shifted her thighs uncomfortably as new trains threatened to rush off to very interesting stations indeed. No! Focus!

Victoria Chase did not pursue. Others pursued her! Max probably knew by now that Victoria liked her. Given Taylor's involvement, that seemed certain. That did not mean, however, that she could assume anything. If Max Caulfield wanted to be Victoria Chase's girlfriend, she'd have to work for it!

-xxx-

As they arrived safely back on campus, armed with shopping bags, Courtney nudged Max with her shoulder. "So, what's the plan, Max?"

"Plan?"

"You know, with V? Are you going to go straight to her room, knock on the door, and sweep her off her feet when she opens it?" Courtney sighed, lost in the fantasy.

"Not really my style, Courtney," Max mumbled, embarrassed at how attractive that plan sounded. "I mean, it's Victoria we're talking about."

"But T texted and said that all is good with her and V and Kate," Courtney complained.

"I know, but… "

"But what? You like her, she likes you, what's the problem?"

"It's not that easy, Courtney," Max insisted. "I mean, I've never even… you know…" Looking over at the confused expression, she realized that Courtney in all likelihood did not, in fact, know. "I've never even kissed a girl. Or been on a real date. I have no idea how to even bring it up."

"Oooo, you should totally invite her to the party!" Courtney advised.

"Isn't she already going to the party?"

"Well, yes, but not with you! Not yet, anyway. That's why you ask her."

"Wouldn't it be better for her to ask me?" Max suggested. Not only did that seem much easier, since she couldn't wait to say yes to Victoria, but also much more in line with how Victoria typically operated. "Victoria likes to be in control of situations, right?"

Courtney gave this some thought. "Maybe you're right. I'm sure she'll ask you right away!"

"Do you think?" Max asked dreamily, imagining the moment.

"I know it!" Courtney declared.


	11. Sun and Mon: Swapping Partners

_The story of the next few days would be told and retold many times over the years that followed, leaving the participants incapable of properly recalling exactly how things went down. Victoria would insist that she'd acted with complete consistency, never wavering in her determination to be pursued. Max would smirk knowingly and recount certain moments where an independent observer might interpret Victoria's behavior in a different fashion. For her part, Max would gleefully admit that it took her a little while to figure out what was going on, still proud that eventually she had._

 _When they were alone, though, Max would detail much more specifically how she had decided to turn the tables on Victoria, recalling every little action, gesture, and look and relishing the effect reliving those magical days had on her partner._

 _On the other hand, if you asked Taylor and Kate about it, as interested parties eventually did, you got rolled eyes, sighs of exasperation, and the occasional profanity._

-xxx-

When Max got back to the dorms, she did not know what to expect. She had hopes, of course, built up over the course of her day with Courtney. Maybe a rose pinned to her message board or a note slipped under her door reading 'My room, Now!' Sadly, finding nothing of the sort, Max considered that perhaps Courtney's first idea had not been so bad. She let herself fantasize about marching across the hall, knocking boldly on Victoria's door, taking her roughly in her arms, dipping her down into a torrid kiss… but as lovely as that sounded, she wasn't going to do it. Max strove to be more confident, but that was a bridge too far at this point.

Kate had texted her earlier to ask about her day and let her know that Victoria had been by. Max knew Kate wouldn't want to talk about serious things in a text, but she had at least said enough to indicate that their conversation had gone well. That news lifted a huge burden, as Max understood that she'd never be able to be in any kind of relationship with Victoria while any of the ugliness between her and Kate lingered. The thought triggered an idea. Max dropped her bags off in her room and knocked on Kate's door.

-xxx-

At breakfast the next day, Max felt a new sense of determination. The long talk with Kate had cleared up any lingering anxieties about Victoria's trustworthiness. If Kate Marsh could forgive, Max Caulfield certainly could. She knew objectively that Victoria owed her some apologies as well for how she'd treated her the last few months, but, somehow it didn't seem to matter any more. Max knew she had already forgiven Victoria in her heart, so the actual act of the apology became less urgent. 'You're just too thirsty to wait for apologies,' a little voice whispered, but Max ignored it.

Grabbing some yogurt and granola, Max made her way to the dining room, spotting Taylor, Courtney and Victoria at their usual spot. She sighed with relief, noting that the boys weren't with them this morning. She did not feel up to facing the entire Vortex Club at once. Kate's presence would have been welcome, but her friend would be at church for most of the morning. With a growing sense of anticipation, she crossed the room, trying to imagine what sort of grand gesture Victoria might make. Max knew Victoria Chase did not take half measures. If she'd decided to date Max, and Max had it on good authority that this was the case, then the world would know it!

"Good morning, can I join you guys?" she asked as she arrived by their table, smiling at each in turn.

Through force of habit, Taylor and Courtney looked to Victoria for approval, the former chiding herself instantly for this instinct. "I suppose, if you like," Victoria replied in a matter-of-fact tone, gesturing idly to an empty seat.

'Hmmm, not quite what I expected,' Max thought. 'Still, maybe the nicest greeting I've ever gotten from Victoria.'

"Um, thanks?" she replied uncertainly, setting her tray down.

For the rest of breakfast, Victoria chatted with Taylor about an upcoming English assignment as well as their recent Chemistry test, all but ignoring Max. Taylor, as baffled as Max, tried to work her into the conversation, but, while Victoria avoided outright rudeness, she did little to include Max, leaving Courtney to pick up the slack. The young woman focused her attention on Max, reliving their trip from the day before and recalling every outfit they'd tried on. Too polite to blow off her new friend, Max followed along, shooting questioning looks from time to time toward Taylor, who could only shrug.

After twenty minutes or so of this, Victoria rose. "So nice of you to have joined us, Max," she said primly. "Enjoy the rest of your day!" As she moved away, Taylor scrambled to her feet to follow, giving Max a supportive squeeze on the shoulder and whispering, "Don't worry, I'll figure it out."

Max considered asking Courtney, who now also began gathering her things to leave, but decided against it. As the journal had indicated, Courtney indeed was a sweetie, but Max had observed that Courtney really hated conflict. Asking her "What the hell?" would only upset her.

-xxx-

"What the hell was that performance, V?" Taylor demanded as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean?" Victoria replied calmly.

"Every time you say that, you know exactly what I mean!" Taylor pointed out. "My room, now!" She grabbed Victoria's arm and dragged her up the stairs, ignoring all protests. When they were safely inside, she spun and demanded, "Spill it, Vic."

Victoria huffed and sat down on the bed. "What did you expect, Taylor, that I'd drop down on one knee and propose?"

"Um, no, but maybe you could, I don't know, actually talk to her, or show more warmth than a damp piece of toast."

"I did talk to her," Victoria insisted. "And I'm quite warm, thank you, despite your lame analogy."

Taylor waived off this criticism. "You barely made eye contact with her. Is this some weird 'now that she wants me, I don't want her' thing?"

"No! I do..."

"Want her?" Taylor smirked. "Hey!" she objected as Victoria kicked her.

"I do like her and, yes, perv, I do want her, but I'm not going to debase myself. Victoria Chase does not hit on girls like some desperate dudebro at a kegger."

"And that's why Victoria Chase does not get laid… Hey! Stop that, it hurts!" Taylor rubbed her shin for effect and continued. "You realize how dumb that is, right? It probably took every ounce of courage Max had to even talk to you and now you want her to make the first move?"

Victoria sighed and stood up, moving to look out the window. Taylor had to strain to hear her soft voice as she spoke to the world outside. "I do, T. I know it's stupid, but…" Before Taylor could reply, Victoria spun and looked directly into her eyes. "You need to promise me, T. You can't tell her. It's… it's important. I don't know why, but it is and if you tell her, it won't be the same. Please?"

Taylor moved forward and wrapped her arms around Victoria. "You know I can't resist you when you flash those puppy dog eyes at me, V. Max is going to eat that shit up. Hell, it almost makes _me_ want to jump your bones."

Victoria laughed gently against her chest. "You always did have a thing for sad little puppies. I'm surprised you're not into Max yourself." As she said it, Victoria felt a twinge of fear. Maybe Taylor did like Max, too. It would be like her to put Victoria's needs ahead of her own. Based on many late-night conversations over the years, she knew that Taylor did not worry too much about gender, but that she absolutely had a type.

As if sensing Victoria's chain of thought, Taylor chuckled and ruffled her hair. "She's way too skinny for me and you know I prefer brunettes. I mean, no offense to your darling hipster, but if I'm going to deal with the hassle of dating a girl, I want some meat on the bones."

"You mean a C-cup at least," Victoria interpreted, arching an eyebrow as she carefully fixed her hair.

"At least!" Taylor agreed eagerly. "Don't get me wrong, Max is a cutie, but…"

"So, you won't say anything to her?" Victoria returned to the issue at hand. In retrospect, she should have been more careful in the formulation of this sentence.

"Fine!" Taylor sighed, "I won't say a word. But what if…"

Victoria raised a finger. "Don't worry about that now. If things go badly… well, we can figure that out later, but for now, please, just trust me." She smiled when Taylor nodded in acquiescence. With that resolved, though, certain facets of their conversation shifted to the forefront of her consciousness. "Hold on, T, let's take a step back… brunette? Sneaky busty? Sad puppy dog?"

"Ok, I think we're done here," Taylor said quickly, but not quickly enough.

"Oh, I don't think we've even started…."

-xxx-

After a couple more meals of polite civility, Max grew frustrated. Kate and Taylor both reassured her that Victoria did indeed like her, but if all this was building up to some big moment, Max failed to see it. By Monday, she'd decided that maybe she needed to make herself a little more available. Maybe Victoria just needed some private time with her to do her thing. As they finished up lunch, Max took a chance.

"Hey Victoria?" she called, before her target could slip away. "Do you have a minute?" Max pointedly ignored the giggles and shared glances among Taylor, Kate, and Courtney as the three quickly and obviously made themselves scarce.

"Hmm, I suppose, but you don't want to be late for your Math Lab, Maxine," Victoria replied in her typically cool tone.

Max had given up on correcting the use of her name. Actually, she got a little thrill when Victoria called her 'Maxine.' For her part, Max had not yet worked up the courage to say 'Tori' out loud, though more often than not, that's how she referred to Victoria in her mind. 'When did that start?' she wondered.

"Um, yeah, I was thinking…" Why was this so hard?

Victoria waited patiently. Max thought she saw a gleam of some sort in her eyes and did note the pleasant flush on Victoria's cheeks. Her skin was so perfect, she just longed to reach out and stroke it. A polite cough from Victoria brought Max out of her reverie. If the blonde girl noted Max's blush, she did not comment on it.

"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to study together during our free period this afternoon?" Max tried not think about the fact that their free period resulted from the cancellation of Photography class.

Victoria controlled her racing heart and pretended to consider the question while she got her voice under control. "That should be fine, Maxine," she replied in perfectly calm tones completely at odds with her internal excitement. Finally, some progress! Still, it would not due to make things too easy. "Should we ask Kate and Taylor? They're free too." The disappointed look Max failed to hide made Victoria's pulse beat even faster.

"Well… I was kind of hoping…" Max sighed. "I guess that makes sense." Sadly, Max was too preoccupied with lost opportunity to notice the flicker of annoyance on Victoria's face this concession aroused.

"I suppose I'll see you then," Victoria said. "Now, we both need to get to class. See you!" She didn't wait for any reply before strolling away, knowing that she'd be unable to hide her state of mind from Max if she lingered. Why was she doing this? Max had tried, why couldn't she meet her halfway?

Victoria spent way too much of her time and energy worrying over power and relationships. To date, those musings had focused on maintaining her social status at Blackwell and in the Vortex Club. She suspected that it all had something to do with this thing with Max but didn't know how or why. Victoria had tried to understand, but she couldn't. All she knew was that, deep down, it mattered that Max asked her out.

Back in the cafeteria, Max made another bold decision. Math Lab could wait. She'd realized long ago that she could get a B or B- in Math with relatively low effort, while the work required to get an A would be extreme. She could get by skipping one lab session. Today, she had a better use for her time!

-xxx-

" _I still can't believe your first instinct was to do research. You're such a nerd."_

 _Max rolled onto her side and cuddled closer. "Well, it worked, didn't it?"_

" _Maybe… eventually…. Still, romantic much? I feel like a science experiment."_

" _Were those days_ really _not romantic enough for you?" She punctuated each word with a light kiss, working her way across bare shoulders._

" _Maybe… remind me again of what happened next and I'll be the judge."_

 _Max laughed. "Fine, but I think… you'll find…" She ignored the gasps each touch of her lips brought and continued both her story and her journey. "… that it was incredibly… romantic."_

-xxx-

"Ummm, Max, your room looks like a police station in a crime drama," Taylor opined later that evening. She took in the sticky notes covering every surface, the stacks of books, the printed webpages, highlighted and annotated. "You just need to run some yarn between photos or something."

After the 'joy' of their joint study session, where Kate and Taylor had watched with growing annoyance as Max and Victoria traded longing gazes and stilted conversation, the two co-conspirators had decided to be a little more pro-active. It had been Kate's bright idea to "switch partners." Taylor giggled, recalling how cute Kate had looked, stammering denials at her innuendo-laden interpretation of that particular phrase.

"Doing a research paper?" she asked, idly flipping through a pile of library books. "On… relationships?"

Max looked up from her desk where she'd been scrawling notes in the margins of a printout. "No," she admitted sheepishly. "I'm trying to figure out what the hell is going on with Victoria. When I want to know more about something, I research it." Max recalled how she'd spent a few hours looking up the history of 'B' movies online after the first time Warren had suggested a Movie Night. Had there been something else she'd spent time obsessing over like this? It felt like there was, but she couldn't recall.

"Did you ever think, maybe, like, talking to her about it might help?" Taylor ventured. She recalled her promise to V about not spilling the beans, but this felt safe enough. Asking questions wasn't _telling_ her something. She'd checked with Kate, her touchstone for ethical issues. When Taylor had filled her in on her conversation with victory, Kate had reluctantly agreed that Taylor had promised not to say anything to _Max_ , not to not say anything to _anyone_. Annoyingly, however, Kate had insisted that Taylor's promise extended to her too and had refused to tell Max herself. Taylor had been proud of finding that loophole but had to admit that Kate was probably right. Damn that girl for being so… well… so… so damn Kate!

Max groaned, "Yes, Taylor, I know I should just talk to her, but for the longest time I couldn't even put together a sentence in front of her. Only this week have we been able to have a normal conversation without me getting all spaced out or clumsy. Besides, Courtney said…"

"Wait, what?" Taylor interjected. "What did Courtney say?"

"Well, that Victoria was the kind of person who liked to be in charge of situations. That makes sense, right?"

Taylor pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. 'That girl, I love her dearly, but sometimes…' "So, Max, you know I love Courtney, right? She's a sweetie pie and all, but did it ever occur to you that maybe she's not… well… you know…" Taylor verified with the inner Kate that this was ok, too. They were talking about Courtney, not Victoria, after all.

Understanding dawned in Max's head. "Not the sharpest tool in the toolbox?" she finished the thought. Of course. Everything she'd done had been predicated on the theory that Victoria planned to make some big gesture. What if…

Max scrambled over to the bed and sifted through a pile of books, pulling one out: "Building the Team: Cooperative Power Dynamic Relationships." She'd not really given it much more than a glance earlier, but now she opened it and began reading intently.

Taylor sighed fondly. Max really was a cutie, so much like Victoria in some ways. V also had this passion for knowledge, at least for the things she cared about. She wasn't familiar with the book (Who needed to read books about relationships? You just had them!) but based on the title, maybe it would point Max in the right direction. Chalking it up as progress, Taylor slipped out of the room, unnoticed by the focused twee girl on the bed. She hoped that Kate had had similar success.

-xxx-

Kate was not having any real success, and that was frustrating. Victoria had accepted her invitation to tea with pleasant surprise. Victoria brought a good deal more prim formality to late afternoon tea than Max did, but Kate did not mind the change. She herself felt that the world could use a little more formality sometimes. While not quite hosting a Japanese Tea Ceremony, Kate had broken out the nicer cups and laid a lace doily on the repurposed nightstand she'd positioned between her bed and the chair.

"This is simply lovely, Kate," Victoria observed, sipping demurely.

"It is," Kate agreed. She'd suggested the idea that she talk to Victoria while Taylor spoke with Max, thinking that a less familiar face might spark new conversation or thought patterns. She tried not to recall how Taylor had reacted to the suggestion. Instead, she focused on the moment. She had to do her part! "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to talk about…"

"About Max?" Victoria answered. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I appreciate your concern, Kate, but I'm not sure what there is to say at this point."

"You do know she likes you, right? She really does," Kate insisted.

"So I've been told," Victoria noted, a slightly acid tone in her voice. "Sorry," she apologized quickly. She was getting better at noticing when she was being getting bitchy. She reached over and patted Kate's hand reassuringly. "I didn't mean that the way I said it."

Kate smiled in what she hoped was an encouraging manner. "What did you mean?"

Victoria sighed heavily. "I meant that I've been told by everyone _except Max_! I know I made it hard for her to talk to me. I kick myself every day for how I treated her, but I thought that now that she knew, that she'd…."

"She does seem more comfortable talking to you," Kate pointed out.

"That's true," Victoria admitted, "and it has been nice just hanging out, being friends, with you and her. But, I don't want to be just friends with her. I want more than that." Her sudden passion startled Kate. What would it be like to have someone want you like that, she wondered.

"Have you told her that?"

"No, and I don't plan on it." Victoria looked at Kate suspiciously suddenly. "Have you been talking to Taylor?"

For a moment, Kate considered lying, but only for a moment and probably only due to Taylor's bad influence on her. Instead, she confessed what Taylor had told her, but insisted that she'd upheld the same promise. "I won't say anything to Max, Victoria, I swear!"

Victoria's initial irritation, focused entirely on Taylor in any case, faded quickly. She shushed Kate and patted her hand again. "I know you won't. I trust you and I suppose Taylor _technically_ didn't break her word. Still…." Victoria paused, obviously considering how she might get even with Taylor. With a devious smirk, she thought of the perfect way.

"Speaking of Taylor," she said, as if they'd been speaking of nothing but, "you've been spending a lot of time with her lately."

Still recovering from the tumult of confessing her liberal interpretation of Taylor's promise, Kate found herself at a loss for this unexpected turn in the conversation. "Yes, I suppose so. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Victoria waved a hand dismissively. "Just curious, since she is my best friend and all. What do you think of her?"

"Think of her?"

"Yes, Kate," Victoria pressed mercilessly, "what do you think of Taylor? You do think of her, don't you?"

"I mean… well… I haven't really…" Kate's heart raced, and she felt her palms getting clammy. "She's fun and nice…"

"So beautiful," Victoria added. "I mean, wouldn't you just die for legs like that or that long blonde hair?"

Kate stammered, "She does have pretty hair."

"And that body? I mean T is really the total package, right?" Victoria could not believe how much more fun this kind of teasing was than the nasty kind she used to do. She suspected if she kept it up, she could actually make Kate's nose bleed, but decided to relent. After all, she needed to get back at Taylor, not poor Kate, though, of course, this would help along that line as well.

"I guess so, I mean… I don't… I mean, I didn't…" Kate babbled, drowning in the confusing swirl of half-thoughts and emotions in her head.

Victoria stood up and straightened her skirt. "I'm just glad that we're all becoming so close," she said, letting Kate off the hook. "Thank you so much for the tea. Maybe this weekend, we can try that new tea and pastry shop up the coast."

Kate pulled herself together enough to make eye contact and gathered up the cups. "That sounds great," she managed to sputter. "Thanks for coming." Victoria left with a friendly wave and Kate put the cups down and fell back onto her bed, exhausted. She had no idea if she'd been successful or not, but found herself quite agitated looking forward to checking in.


	12. Tuesday: That's How It's Done

After a long night of research, Max felt confident that she'd figured it out. 'Well, almost,' she admitted to herself. Despite being presented with multiple opportunities to ask her out, Victoria had failed to do so. Therefore, Max decided to take the opposite approach and ask Victoria out instead. Simple, right? Somehow, she still suspected she had missed something, but that was not going to deter her from giving it a try.

For the third straight day, Max arrived a little later to breakfast than her friends. Unlike the previous mornings, though, today Victoria sat not only with Courtney, Taylor, and Kate, but also Hayden, Dana, Logan, and Zachary. 'Ok, that makes it a little harder, but… confident and strong, Max!' Kate had saved her a seat and Max no longer felt the need to ask for permission, so she sat down with a friendly smile for all.

"Wow, first Marsh and now Caulfield?" Logan said. "Are we really in that much trouble after Nathan's episode that we need to let everyone in?"

Multiple voices clashed for a moment before Victoria's icy tone seared through the din. "If I hear one more comment like that or observe any member of this club bullying another student, I will _end_ the culprit. Am I crystal clear?"

"Geez, Victoria, don't get your panties in a bunch…" Logan began. Victoria's death glare shut him up, much to Hayden and Zachary's amusement.

"Logan, stop being an asshole for just a minute," Dana suggested drily. She reached across the table to pat both Max and Kate. "Don't listen to these meatheads, ladies. We're taking the Vortex Club back to where it started." She ignored Zachary and Hayden's complaints about being lumped in with Logan because of their genital status and went on. "It seems the Vortex Club was originally formed as an anti-bullying club."

Max snorted at this revelation while Kate looked suddenly uncomfortable. Taylor wrapped a protective arm around her friend's shoulders, a gesture which Max and Victoria each noted with great interest.

Either oblivious to or ignoring these reactions, Dana pressed on, "I'm really glad you both feel comfortable enough to sit with us and I hope maybe you'll consider joining. We could use a better estrogen to testosterone ratio." Again, the boys' mumbled objections were roundly ignored.

"Maybe," Kate replied shyly, feeling more comfortable.

"Well at least you're both coming to the dance, right?" Taylor asked.

Kate glanced down, unable to meet Taylor's gaze, but murmured, "I guess it could be fun."

As Taylor and Courtney squealed with delight, Max realized this would be the perfect opportunity to make her move. "Actually," she said, quickly filling the interlude before the conversation shifted topics, "speaking of the Vortex Club and the party…" She turned to face Victoria directly.

'Victoria Chase, would you do me the honor of accompanying me on Saturday?' is what she'd planned to say, but the sudden look of fear and surprise on Victoria's face stopped her. In that fleeting moment, as she watched Victoria's eyes dart around the table and her head subtly shift side-to-side, the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Now, it all made sense. She'd spent months silently observing Victoria Chase. She'd spent the last week thinking of little else. She'd spent most of yesterday studying the latest science on relationships and interpersonal interactions. Now, at the very last moment, she finally understood.

"…do you guys need any help setting up?" she finished her sentence. The instant look of relief on Victoria's face confirmed everything for Max. If anyone else noticed what had just happened, or almost happened, they gave no indication, beyond a brief sigh of frustration from Taylor.

"That's so sweet to ask," Courtney replied, "but I think we're good. If anything comes up, I'll look you up!"

As the conversation spun on to decorations, entertainment, and related matters, Max settled back, deep in thought, a slow smile spreading across her face.

-xxx-

Another cancelled Photography class left Kate and Taylor with nothing better to do in the period before lunch than regroup in Kate's room to assess the situation.

"I was so sure she was going to ask her at breakfast!" Taylor moaned, throwing herself down on Kate's bed. "What is with them?"

"Maybe we need _three_ tons of bricks," Kate joked as she fed baby carrots to Alice, recalling their first conversation on this topic.

Taylor snickered and sat up. "Seriously, Kate, what is so hard? I mean, if you liked someone and you knew they liked you, what would you do?"

Kate blushed, thanking the Lord that she wasn't facing Taylor right now. "Ummm, I don't know what I'd do. What would you do?" she added, almost as an afterthought.

For a moment, Taylor prepared to answer this in her typically flippant way, something along the lines of "Get her a drink or two to loosen her up, say 'Hey baby, are you an overdue library book, because you are fine' and stick my tongue down her throat.' The words died in her throat, though, as she noted Kate's posture, facing away, shoulders pulled in, clearly uncomfortable. 'God, I just want to wrap her in my arms and… Oh.' Victoria's teasing, Max's arch glances, her own increasing habit of finding any excuse to hold a hand or touch a shoulder… 'Please Lord, don't let Victoria have figured this out before I did,' she thought.

"I'm sorry, Taylor, I guess that's a pretty personal question," Kate said quietly, still resolutely buried in the corner by the rabbit cage. From where she sat, Kate couldn't see Taylor stand up.

"Well, usually, you don't really know for sure that someone you like, likes you back," Taylor said, moving forward delicately. "So, you need to take a chance and put yourself out there." Kneeling on the floor, she placed her hands on the back of Kate's chair and gently spun her around to face her. "If there was someone I really liked, like a sweet, beautiful, kind soul who made me feel like just hanging around her made me a better person, but I knew that she maybe was a little shyer or less experienced than me, well I think I'd…"

Whatever Taylor might have done in such a situation was lost to history, as Kate's sudden kiss swallowed the words from her mouth. Taylor almost fell backward from the force of Kate's lunge, but managed to remain upright, throwing her arms around Kate's neck and holding on for dear life. What Kate lacked in experience as a kisser she more than made up for with enthusiasm. After many breathless moments, Kate pulled away.

"Oh Taylor, I'm sorry, I don't.. I didn't…"

"Shhh," Taylor laughed, pressing a finger to Kate's lips. "That's a much better answer than mine was going to be." Leaning forward, she kissed her again, this time much more tenderly. "So yeah, I like you, too, petal."

Kate smiled and took a shaky deep breath. "Petal?"

"Maybe. We'll see how that one works, but I need something to call you now other than Kate, now that we're…"

"What are we?" Kate asked, still uncertain but by no means unhappy with how this morning was turning out.

"We're us," Taylor concluded, pulling her into a tight hug, "and we're awesome." She chuckled wickedly, "And we're so much better at this than those two knuckleheads!"

Kate laughed and shifted down off the chair to settle into Taylor's arms on the floor. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but she didn't care. After so much time spent struggling with her feelings, with who she was, through all the trauma, ending up here, it felt like maybe, just maybe, it would all finally be alright. Besides, she had had no idea how fun this kissing business would be. With that in mind she shifted her head and looked expectantly up at Taylor…

"Hey Kate!" Max called, as she strolled into her room after a quick knock, "do you have the handout from Life Drawing ohmigod!"

Kate scrambled to her feet, afraid that she'd pass out from the embarrassment. Taylor stood in a much more dignified manner, completely ignoring Max's howling laughter.

"Ohmigod, youguysweretotally… ohimigod…" Max burbled between laughs, trying to catch her breath.

"We were.. It's just…" Kate stammered.

"We were demonstrating," Taylor stated archly, laying an arm over her girlfriend's shoulders in solidarity, "exactly what you should be doing right now, right there." She pointed next door to Victoria's room. "Take some notes, Caulfield. When you like someone, and she likes you, you do this!" Taylor spun Kate into a quick embrace and kissed her soundly. If Kate had any objections to being used as a prop, she didn't articulate them. Her leg lifted off the ground like a heroine in a rom-com as she sagged happily against Taylor's arms around her waist.

"Please, enough!" Max begged. "PDA much?"

"Um, Max, we're in my room," Kate observed, a bit breathlessly. "Maybe from now on, wait after you knock?"

Max flushed and twisted one foot against the ground. "Sorry, I will." Looking up, she made no effort to hide the huge smile on her face. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

Kate blushed again and Taylor beamed at her. "Now, it's your turn! Go next door and do the deed!"

Max shook her head fondly. "Not the plan, T."

"What is the plan, then?"

"Actually, I'm glad you're here, if you don't mind taking a break from…" She gestured vaguely at Kate and Taylor.

"Your timing isn't great, Max," Taylor said, embarrassing Kate even more, "but I think I can keep it in my pants for another few minutes." Kate made an 'eep' sound and Taylor leaned down to whisper, "Kidding, petal, no intention of rushing anything." Kate sighed with relief and relaxed into Taylor's side.

"Great," Max replied. "Since you are obviously quite the expert on seduction, I wanted to get some tips."

" _I_ kissed _her_!" Kate announced, to her own great surprise. Perhaps her well of embarrassment had finally run dry, or the fact that she and Taylor Christensen were apparently now dating had finally seeped in completely, but either way, Kate stood up straighter and thrust her chin forward proudly.

Tears came to Max's eyes as she saw this new, improved version of her very best friend, so happy and confident. She dashed forward and took Kate's hands in her own. "I don't doubt it for a minute! And, I'd better get all the details later!" She cast a teasing glance at Taylor.

Taylor sniffled away a tear or two of her own. After steadying her breathing, she said, "So, you're going to seduce her, huh? Interesting. Well, if it was me, here's where I'd start…"

-xxx-

" _You know, if you'd been a few minutes later, maybe you would have seen something really interesting."_

" _Eww! One, I doubt that anything 'interesting' would have happened their first time together and two, I have no desire to see any part of Kate and Taylor's sex life."_

" _Really? I don't know… it might be kind of interesting…"_

" _You are such a hentai perv!"_

" _Like you mind. Anyway, that reminds me. How did you get from 'she doesn't want me to ask in the cafeteria, of all the least romantic places in the world' to 'Imma seduce her.'?"_

" _Intuition? Months of study in Victoriology? Or maybe... I just really wanted... to seduce you."_

" _You're a doofus."_

" _Yes, but I'm your doofus!"_

" _Damn right, now get to the good part…"_

[A/N: I guess better authors plan their stories out, but I just kinda start writing and see where the characters lead me. Didn't plan to have Kate and Taylor get together when I started the chapter, but those crazy kids couldn't wait any longer, I guess. 😊 Thanks to everyone who's been following the story!]


	13. Tueday: Text Interlude

Max: OMG Tori! OMG!

Victoria: THE HELL?

Max: No, srsly! OMG!

Victoria: Maxine, what the hell

Max: I know, I know, we can go back to normal later but this can't wait!

Victoria: I have no idea what ur talking about.

Max: Nope. No time for that! BIG NEWS!

Victoria: ?

Max: KATE AND TAYLOR! I JUST CAUGHT THEM MAKING OUT IN HER ROOM!

Victoria: O M G Srsly?

Max: YES! Isn't it great

Victoria: It is. Thks for the heads-up

Max: I KNOW RIGHT!

Victoria: Stop shouting Maxine Tori?

Max: 0:-)

Victoria: I have no idea what that emoji is suppsed to mean

Max: I'm an angel, duh!

Victoria: ;-(

Max: Ok ok going back to our fun

Victoria: I'm sure I have no idea what u mean

Max: Whatever you say ;)

-xxx-

Victoria: So, interesting day?

Taylor: Fukin Max

Victoria: :-7

Taylor: OH NO U did NOT use a smirky emoji at me!

Victoria: :)

Taylor: OMG ur so lame!

Victoria: Molest much?

Taylor: She kissed me, jerk!

Victoria: yahright im sure u hated every minute of it

Taylor: NOPE! U don't get to mock ME!

Victoria: Don't be dumb. I'm really happy for you

Taylor: Really?

Victoria: YES DUMMY!

Taylor: Good! Now go get sum of ur own!

Victoria: We're done

-xxx-

Max: OMG KATE!

Kate: :)

Max: I WANT EVRY DETAIL!

Kate: :")

Max: When you're free, get over here!

Kate: I will, promise

-xxx-

Taylor: Imma kill you

Max: ?

Taylor: U TOLD V!

Max: Was that bad?

Taylor: YES! Now I'll never hear the end of it!

Max: I had to tell SOMEONE! It was TOO BIG!

Taylor: $ #!%!

Max: im sorry ru rly mad

Taylor: NO DUMMY! But that doesn't mean I won't forget!

Max: :)

[A/N: Stupid website makes it very challenging to do cool emoticons, since various characters will not appear. Boo !]


	14. Wednesday: Seducing Victoria

Max yawned, stretched, and made her way to the window, trying to rediscover in the dim light of morning the resolve she'd felt yesterday. She had slept well, not a single nightmare disturbing her slumber. 'Maybe going to bed happy helps,' she considered, smiling fondly at the recalled joy from last evening. After some friendly coaxing, Kate had relayed the events of the afternoon, at least the parts up until Max interrupted. When Max had asked about what happened after that, Kate had blushed deep red and refused to elaborate.

That interruption had led directly to Max's current predicament, if being awake before 8 am could be considered a 'predicament.' (Indeed, for Max, it was.) While Taylor had been somewhat abrupt with her advice, understandably anxious to shoo Max away, she had delivered some sound ideas. "V goes for a run every morning just after dawn," she'd informed her, "so, if I were you, I'd..."

It sounded fun and highly likely to have the desired effect, but now as the moment neared, Max's insecurities rose from the depths. Her brain concocted dozens of scenarios where this plan backfired spectacularly, the worst of which ended with Max in jail. She didn't actually know if exhibitionism was a crime, but that didn't stop her inner doubts. Why was she even doing this?

'She told them she liked you,' Max recalled, grasping at the frayed tendrils of her self-confidence. 'She needs to know that I like her, too. Just asking her out is not enough.' Insights from Taylor, Courtney, even Kate, provided her new perspectives through which to interpret her own carefully curated observations. Max felt much closer to piercing the facade that Victoria Chase worked so hard to project. So much effort to maintain the illusion of perfection. So much time spent on studies, on appearance, on never letting anyone see a glimpse of weakness. Max shuddered at the thought of how much pressure Victoria must be under. She longed to be the person who could finally get past that shell, to be someone Victoria could rely on, someone she could trust to see what lay behind the walls.

Peering through the blinds down to the courtyard, Max spotted her, making her way back towards the dorm after her morning jog. Despite the autumn cold, she wore Lycra biking shorts and a halter top, sports bra combo thing. 'I'm supposed to be getting _her_ hot and bothered,' Max thought, feeling a tingle run across her skin as she watched Victoria begin some cool-down stretches. With great reluctance, she tore her eyes from the vision below and gathered her things. 'Time to go!'

" _So, it wasn't so much the grand desire to break through my tough exterior as much as seeing my butt in tights?"_

" _I'd already decided to go through with it before I saw you!"_

" _Sure you did. And watching me all sweaty from my run, leaning over to stretch my calves, my legs and ass all taut in that thin fabric, that did nothing?"_

" _Nnnoo... I … I didn't say that..."_

" _Hmmm, interesting. Maybe I should get up and do some stretches now. I_ am _feeling a little tense."_

" _If you do that, we'll never finish the story."_

" _No, I suppose not. Very well, you may continue. I'll just... stretch... right... here... a bit."_

" _You suck, you know that?"_

" _Maybe later. If you're good. Now, go on."  
_

Victoria loved this time of day. Very few of her fellow students rose this early and none of the girls on the floor. It felt like she had the whole school to herself. Running helped clear her mind as well. Now, as she made her way to the showers, she let herself run through her plans for the day. That damned Taylor had distracted her successfully yesterday by reminding her of the paper she had due Friday. As much as Victoria wanted nothing more than to grill her best friend mercilessly, she had needed to get that done last night. Today, however, she had a light day.

Taylor probably thought she'd get to spend what would have been Photography Lab canoodling with her new girlfriend, but that would not do. On the one hand, a virginal girl like Kate could probably use some time to process, or at least to calm whatever latent hormones had been aroused. And on the other hand, Taylor had earned some clam jamming.

Busy as she was scheming how to get hold of Taylor after lunch, Victoria did not notice at first that someone was already in the showers when she arrived. As she brushed her teeth, she noted the steam on the mirror. 'Who could be up at this hour?' she pondered.

"Oh, is that you, Victoria?"

Victoria barely avoided spitting her toothpaste all over the sink. "Max?" she managed. "What are you doing up so early?" Unable to see much on the steamed glass before her, Victoria turned just in time to see Max's head poking out from the shower curtain.

"Just trying to get a start on my day," she replied with atypical calm. She shifted and the shower curtain slid back, revealing a pale shoulder.

Victoria's eyes widened and her pulse quickened. 'Her freckles go all the way across,' she noted with rapt interest. 'I wonder how far down they go...' Lost in this thought, she did not notice the brief gleam of triumph in Max's eyes.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here," Max said, yanking Victoria out of her imaginings.

"Y..you are?" Victoria cursed herself for stuttering, hoping that Max hadn't heard the hitch in her voice. The smug smile on Max's face indicated that she had. 'Dammit, V, get yourself together.'

"I am. Really really glad," Max replied, shooting for 'breathy' but hitting somewhere between 'whisper' and 'asthmatic.' Pressing her advantage, despite this setback, she let the curtain slip a few inches lower. Max tried not to be self-conscious about any cleavage-related deficiencies, but what she _did_ have was now clearly on display.

Victoria stood, toothbrush forgotten in hand, struggling to find a safe place for her eyes. 'They go that far at least,' she noted. 'God, I'd love to count them.' Her mind said 'count' but her imagination heard 'kiss' and proceeded accordingly.

"I forgot my shampoo," Max continued. "Could I borrow yours?" She extended an arm to point at Victoria's shower caddy on the shelf, and in that one fleeting moment, flashed a glimpse of bare skin down to just above her waist. "Ooops," she said, clinching the curtain tighter around her now so that only her arm stuck out.

"You..." Victoria stopped and forced herself to take a breath. "Shampoo," she said finally. "Yes, I suppose." She rallied her crumbling composure and fell back on reliable tools. "Really, Lamefield, who forgets shampoo when they take a shower."

Max ignored this glimpse of Old Victoria and giggled, "I guess I'm just not used to being up so early. Thank you so much, Tori."

'Tori again.' Victoria started to protest, but the cold reply melted under the warmth that the nickname generated. Suddenly, she never wanted her to call her anything but Tori.

Max waved her hand, clearly expecting Victoria to hand her the shampoo bottle. The thought of stepping closer to nude, wet Max Caulfield, was both the most appealing and terrifying idea Victoria could remember having. Tossing the bottle, she hastily grabbed her things and headed for the door.

"Just.. just leave it on the shelf, I'll get it later," she said, fleeing the scene. As she headed back to her room, Victoria wondered two things: how long would she have to wait before it was safe to shower and what the hell had just happened!

-xxx-

Flush with the success of her first attempt, Max decided not to push her luck right away. She avoided the cafeteria at breakfast and spent her morning trying to focus in class as well as plot her next move.

At lunch, Max joined her new group of friends. 'The new normal,' she supposed, glancing across the room and waving at Warren, who sat with Brooke, Daniel, and Stella. She missed him, sometimes, the big dork, but he seemed quite preoccupied by his new relationship. Soon, maybe she'd be the one making the rest of the school sick with PDA and overall cuteness. To that end...

"Victoria?" she called across the table.

Having successfully convinced Taylor to spend the period after lunch with her, instead of Kate, Victoria had all but forgotten the sad state of discombobulation to which she had fallen this morning.

"Yes, Maxine?" Victoria noted with sinister glee Max's flush at the pet name. Two could play at this game!

"Well, first, thanks again for your help in the shower this morning. You were a total life saver!"

Victoria cursed her pale complexion, knowing that the pink on her cheeks had not gone unnoticed by the snickering Taylor Christensen. Better move on quickly before T grabbed onto that line.

"I'm sure forgetting shampoo is not life or death," she stated clearly for all eager listeners. "Was that all?"

"Actually, no," Max went on, "I was hoping you could help me with a project?"

Victoria smiled, feeling herself back on solid ground. She knew that her grades outpaced Max's across the board in all their joint classes, at least now that Photography had ended. Some joint study time, alone with Max, sounded lovely. "Of course."

"Great!" Max exclaimed. "You don't have any classes this afternoon, right?"

'She's memorized my schedule,' Victoria noted happily. For her part, she'd mastered Max's after two weeks of school. "That's right, Max, I'm free. What class do you need my help with?"

"Life Drawing," Max answered, smiling ominously.

"But I don't take Life Drawing," Victoria pointed out, unease growing.

"I know. I'm supposed to use the time from this afternoon's class to work on my anatomy."

"A..anatomy?" Victoria's face grew even pinker as realization began to dawn.

"Yes, I need a human female model, and since you are the model human female, I figured you'd be perfect!" As Victoria started to formulate some sort of excuse, Max reached over and squeezed her hand. Max's touch silenced Victoria immediately. "Thank you so much! I'll come by your room at 2."

Before Victoria could say another word, Max grabbed her empty tray and left the room, all but bouncing out of sheer joy. How had she ever thought this could be a bad idea?

" _'Model human female?' Such a smoothie, back in the day."_

 _"Still a smoothie. And you're still the model human female."_

" _Hmm, that reminds me, we never did much with those body paints we bought last year.."_

-xxx-

[A/N: So, according to Buzzfeed, "clam jamming" is a female equivalent to "cock block." There were other suggestions, but this one amuses me most. Sorry for the varied length of chapters! I hope that's not too annoying. Thanks to everyone reading! Next up, the modeling session!]


	15. Wednesday: Seducing Max

Conflicting impulses nearly tore Victoria Chase in two. On the one hand, she longed to spend her free period after lunch as she'd originally planned, ruthlessly extracting every last detail from Taylor about her hook up with Kate. Now, though, she had a modelling session to plan for and desperately wanted her best friend's help picking out what to wear and how to approach it. This would be the first time that Victoria would be alone with Max since, well… ever. As much as she hated not having a plan in place, Victoria decided to play it by ear.

"V, it's me, I'm coming in, so get your hands out of your pants," Taylor called, arriving right on time.

"Please, you're the one who can't leave it alone for a day," Victoria replied, smirking. "Or is Kate taking care of things for you now?"

"We're nowhere close to 'hands in pants', thank you oh Queen of Thirst. Just because _you_ clearly can't wait to get into Max's skinny jeans doesn't mean we're all as desperate."

The two girls stared at each other for a long moment and then burst into laughter. Victoria rushed forward and pulled Taylor into a big hug. "I'm really happy for you, T."

"I know, right?" Taylor gushed, sniffling a little bit.

"I still can't believe it. You and Kate Marsh! Can you even imagine?"

"It's pretty surreal," Taylor admitted. "But, I don't know… It feels so… natural. Like she just fits, you know?"

Victoria nodded and sat down on the couch, pulling Taylor to sit beside her. "Did she really kiss you first?"

As Taylor recounted the events of the previous afternoon, Victoria listened with rapt interest, only interrupting once Max entered the story.

"Wait, what did Max want with you?"

"Oh, she wanted some tips on how to seduce you," Taylor replied offhandedly.

"She WHAT?" Victoria shoved Taylor. "So that performance this morning was YOUR idea?"

Taylor smirked and scooted out of arm's reach. "Yep! I take it it worked?" When Victoria blushed and looked away, Taylor laughed and moved back to lay an arm around her friend's shoulders. "I thought you wanted her to take control of the situation. Isn't this good?"

"I.. I don't know…" Victoria whispered before dropping her head into her lap and covering it with her hands. "She drives me crazy, T! She's so fucking hot, god I just wanted to…" Realizing that perhaps she was saying too much, Victoria caught herself, much to Taylor's chagrin.

"So, just do it, V. Grab her and kiss her! She won't mind one bit, I promise you that."

"No!" Victoria shouted, sitting up suddenly. "I mean… god, T, I don't know why, but just… No. She needs to be the one."

Taylor sighed and resisted the urge to squeeze her nose in frustration. "I swear, the two of you will be the death of me."

"I think it's important that Kate kissed you," Victoria pointed out quietly. "Important to her, and to you. To you both."

Taylor gave this some thought and had to reluctantly agree. "I guess you're right. I mean, I've had boyfriends, even the occasional girlfriend, before. I've kissed lots of people." She ignored the snort this comment elicited from Victoria and carried on. "I was trying so hard to be gentle, but then, Wham! It's nice to know that I don't have to treat her like she's fragile, that she wanted me too, that I wasn't forcing anything on her. But, I think that our situation is a bit different from yours and Max's."

"Maybe," Victoria admitted. "It's not the exact same thing, but it's related somehow. And now you've got her seducing me." She cast an accusatory glare at her friend, before recalling the second part of her plan for this conversation. "Ohmigod! What time is it? What should I wear? Is she going to ask me to undress? Should I change my underwear?"

Taylor patted Victoria gently on the head, trying to calm her panic. "Shhh, don't sweat it, V. It will be fine. I have no idea what her scheme is, this one wasn't my idea, but you're Victoria Fucking Chase, aren't you?"

"Yes," Victoria replied, slowing her heartrate with some difficulty, "I am. I am not some hormone addled teenager unable to control her impulses." This time, _she_ got to ignore a snort of disbelief. "Perhaps, it's time to turn the tables on Ms. Caulfield," she continued. "Maybe a little 'encouragement' will get her to finally say it."

"That she loves you?" Taylor teased. "That she can't resist your hot bod one moment longer? That's she's been dreaming about kissing her way from your ear…" A pillow to the face smothered the rest of this commentary.

"No time for your idiocy, T!" Victoria declared, standing up. "You need to help me pick exactly the right outfit and help me get my make-up perfect! She'll be here in an hour!"

Fifty-eight minutes later, Max knocked tentatively at Victoria's door. The door opened, revealing a smirking Taylor Christensen. "You're early, Max," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Couldn't wait?" Before Max could reply, she turned and said, "Have fun, V. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Winking at Max, she added, "I'll be right next door, if you need anything."

Max stepped aside to let Taylor by and entered Victoria's room for the first time ever. Despite never having set foot inside, it felt familiar somehow. 'It's immaculate,' she noted immediately, suddenly conscious of how many piles of dirty clothes, notepads, and books littered her own room. Good thing she'd decided to do this on Victoria's turf. Her perusal of the room halted when she caught sight of Victoria herself, framed in the sunlight beaming through the window by her desk.

"Wowzers," she whispered, unaware that she was speaking aloud. Victoria looked radiant. She'd changed clothes, donning her burgundy blouse with the gold collar, offset by a strand of pearls, with a charcoal-gray miniskirt. Max had no doubt that the pearls were real and probably worth more than her entire wardrobe. Her blonde hair sat perfectly, framing her exquisite face, with make-up on point as always. Once again, she had to remind herself who was supposed to be seducing whom.

Not trusting herself to speak just yet, she strode forward, pulling out her sketchpad and setting her pencil case on the edge of the couch.

"So, Maxine," Victoria purred, moving closer with some extra swish in her hips, "where do you want me?"

"Ww..want you?" Max gulped. 'Get it together, Max!' "Let's start with you on the couch."

Victoria slid past Max, stepping a few inches closer than absolutely necessary. At the closest point, she whispered, "Sounds lovely."

'So that's how you do 'breathy',' Max realized, scrambling to gain control of herself and the situation. "Um yeah, just have a seat and we'll get you positioned." This had been the plan, to use the excuse of 'positioning her model' to make physical contact with Victoria as often as possible. Based on how flustered Victoria had been at the simple sight of her bare skin, Max had figured that that just a touch or two would have her swooning. She hadn't counted on the fact that, unlike ogling, touch was a two-way street.

Victoria sat primly, ankles crossed, hands folded in her lap. Victoria knew her calves were one of her best features and made sure to twist herself just so, to show them off properly. "Like this?" she asked coquettishly.

Transfixed, Max did not reply immediately. Who knew that ankles could be sexy? 'Focus, Max. You're seducing _her_.'

"Not quite," Max finally replied, voice cracking just a bit. She set down the sketchpad and approached the sofa. "May I?" she asked, extending a hand toward Victoria's knee.

"I suppose," Victoria answered, lowering her chin and looking up, eyelashes aflutter.

Slowly, Max reached forward, relishing the way her heart raced in anticipation. Had she ever actually touched Victoria? Her skin looked so smooth and soft. Max wondered idly what kind of moisturizer she used. She heard Victoria's breath catch in her chest and realized she herself had stopped breathing for a moment. Exhaling softly, she laid her fingers on Victoria's bare knee, intending to shift her slightly to the left. The moment skin touched skin, though, time stopped. Max froze, fingertips grazing alabaster flesh. Victoria gasped quietly, and Max felt light-headed. With a tender push, she moved Victoria's leg a centimeter or two closer to the couch, struggling to remain on her feet as the blood rushed away from her head.

Stepping back quickly, she caught Victoria staring at her, eyes unreadable. Max coughed to break the tension and hurriedly gathered up her sketching materials. "There, that's better," she stammered, recovering slowly.

Victoria nodded, still searching for her lost voice and scrambling to make sense of what had just happened. Max had barely grazed her knee and she'd about fainted. Had it really been that long since someone had touched her intimately? Taylor's hug or comforting arm certainly hadn't made her heart skip a beat, but this?

Fortunately for both girls, the drawing assignment provided an excuse for each to gather her wits. Max went through the motions of sketching, even as her mind raced. She didn't think she could dare touch Victoria again. She'd wanted to have some fun, making Victoria want her, enjoying some attention, maybe ratcheting up some tension prior to whatever perfect moment presented itself for her to confess her feelings. She knew those feelings were real, and she'd trusted that Victoria's were as well, but in that single moment, she'd begun to grasp the full meaning of this situation. It _was_ real. Maybe the stress of the past few weeks had made her look at life differently. Maybe it was just the chemicals surging in her post-adolescent brain. Maybe she was only beginning to understand the potential of what was developing here. No matter what it was, _something_ was happening and as much as it excited her, it scared her.

For her part, Victoria strove to understand her feelings. She had lived with what she'd assumed to be an unrequited crush on Max for so long that she'd almost forgotten why she liked her in the first place. Today had validated quite forcefully the physical aspect of the attraction. She worried that, if Max touched her again, she'd throw her down on the couch and ravish her. She wondered what it would take to get Max to ravish _her_. Was this just lust, though? Watching Max work, a little crease between her eyes as she concentrated on her sketch, Victoria considered the person before her. Beyond the adorableness, she recalled how impressed, jealous really, she'd been of this new girl who didn't seem to care at all about what other people thought of her. Unlike Victoria, Max obviously did not spend hours picking out the perfect outfit or getting her makeup just so. Had she ever even worn makeup?

Maybe because she didn't care what others thought, Max never shied away from helping people who needed it or offering a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on. Victoria cared deeply about her friends, but because of her own stupid hang-ups, avoided showing that side of herself publicly. In what sick world did showing that you cared make you seem weak? 'Mine,' she realized sadly. Maybe this was all a mistake. Max deserved someone better than Victoria could ever hope to be.

 _Victoria sniffled, recalling that afternoon. She felt Max wrap her arms tighter from behind. "Did you know?" she said quietly. "Could you read my mind even back then? Know exactly the right things to say?"_

" _I don't know, love," Max whispered, squeezing gently. "I just said what I felt. Always."_

 _Victoria snuggled back, closing her eyes and letting her memory drift back again. "Go on, please."_

Minutes passed in silence as each girl wrestled with her thoughts. The longer the silence lasted, the more oppressive it became. It filled the room like a thick fog, daring them both to try to cut through. Max struggled to find that strength inside herself that she'd sworn to cultivate, the confidence to take a chance, even at the risk of eventual heartache. Victoria tried to fight back the demons of insecurity that plagued her, worrying about every perceived character flaw, striving to believe herself worthy of regard.

Adrift in thought as she was, Victoria had no will left to project the image of perfection. Gradually, her features softened as, lost in introspection, she forgot where she was or who she needed to be. For the first time, Max truly saw her, the person behind "Victoria Chase," and her heart melted.

"You're so beautiful, Tori," Max whispered, involuntarily breaking the silence. She longed to drop the sketchpad, rush over to the couch, take the vulnerable girl there in her arms and protect her from the world.

Victoria did not raise her eyes, staring down at her folded hands. "Is that why you like me?" Her words came softly, almost indiscernible. This, at least, was a motivation she could understand. As insecure as Victoria was, she accepted that many people found her attractive. Simple lust would explain so much. After all, what else could it be?

"No," Max replied simply.

The heartfelt sincerity in that one syllable drew Victoria's gaze. She scanned Max's face for any sign of dissimulation but found none. She felt tears coming but made no attempt to fight them off. One touch, some brief time shared together, and yet here she was at wit's end. So many emotions swirled behind her green eyes that she gave up trying to understand them. "Why then?" she asked, both desperate for and deadly afraid of the answer.

Max set down the sketchpad carefully, using the time to collect her thoughts. This moment felt far more important than asking someone to a dance. Here, right now, a foundation would be laid for whatever type of relationship the two would share: friends, lovers, for a night, a month, or years. Whatever might come, Max knew only one path forward, only one way to be, especially for something this important. If nothing else, she would always be honest.

"Because of who you are when you're not being Victoria Chase," she said, moving to sit at the other end of the couch, just outside arm's reach. Victoria scrunched back into her corner, both knowing that the merest touch could set off a powder keg neither were prepared to deal with at the moment.

"But that's who I am," Victoria insisted, trying to understand.

Max sighed with frustration, knowing she wasn't saying things right. "No, I mean yes, but… Tori?" She waited until Victoria looked up and met her gaze once again. "This person, right here with me now. The one who cares so deeply about things, about her friends, about her passions. The one who was big enough to admit when she was wrong. The one who stood up for her friend, even if it pissed people off. That's the Victoria Chase that…" She stopped, afraid to finish that particular sentence in the midst of the emotional torrent swirling around them both.

Victoria reached up to clear the unshed tears from her eyes. She didn't know if she could handle it if Max had said what she thought she might say. Right now, she teetered on the precipice of something huge, but at the same time, she realized that, once she fell, things would change forever.

She knew, now. Warmth suffused her body, chasing the demons, at least for the moment. She knew, and because of that, she understood there was no need to take that next step. Knowing it would come, and soon, took away all urgency and left her with a sudden appreciation for this (likely brief) period where all the energy was potential, not actualized.

"Yes, it is," she said, full of spontaneous confidence, "but this is not getting your project done. Really, Maxine, if you can't focus long enough to complete a single sketch, how will you ever pass this class?" She shooed Max off the couch, gesturing to the forgotten sketchpad.

Befuddled by the mercurial change in mood, Max mutely followed instructions and moved back to the chair, pencil in hand.

"Very good, but I think we should try a different pose," Victoria suggested. "After all, this is about anatomy, isn't it?" She felt a victorious surge as Max could only nod in response. She had her right where she wanted her now. She stood up and slowly removed her necklace, placing it carefully on the end table. Staring directly at Max, watching with glee as her skin tone reddened noticeably, Victoria slowly unbuttoned her blouse, one button, two, then three and four. Shrugging her shoulders subtly, she shifted her blouse to reveal the purple lace bra she and Taylor had spent eight minutes picking out.

"I thought the contrast between these curves," Victoria drew a finger along the line of her bosom, "and the straight lines here," she traced a line down her hip, "would really demonstrate your mastery."

"It's all curves," Max replied, hypnotized by the journey of Victoria's fingertip.

Victoria spun slightly, trying for that impossible anime pose where both her breasts and her ass were showing at once. "Do you think? So kind of you, Maxine." She knew her blouse had fallen open even more, leaving little to the imagination. So nice to finally get some payoff for all those sit-ups, she thought, as Max stared at her newly exposed abs. She turned back and lay down across the couch, her legs extended, her arm resting lightly on the back, head propped in one corner. "Does this work for you?"

"YES.. Ummm… yes, that should be fine," Max sputtered, scrambling to recover. Just like that, this incredible girl had gone from vulnerable waif to assured sexpot. Would every day with her be a roller-coaster ride like this? She really hoped so.

"Well then…" Victoria stared impatiently.

"Hmm?" Max replied, lost in daydreams about what life as Victoria Chase's girlfriend would be like.

"The drawing?" Victoria said archly. "Don't stare at me like a piece of meat, Maxine, it's demeaning. To you. This is Art, after all."

Max hastily began sketching. 'Thank god there is no real anatomy assignment,' she thought. 'There's no way I'm ever parting with this sketch.'

-xxx-

" _I still have it, you know."_

" _I know. You've gotten much better since then."_

" _I don't care, it's my favorite."_

" _Mine too, dearest. Mine too."_


	16. Wednesday: Journaling & Text Interlude 2

_Wednesday, October 16, 2013_

 _It's been a while since I've done this and a whole lot has happened. There's been some bad stuff, like the funeral. I had nightmares a lot and last week I even fainted, well almost. Thankfully Kate was there to help me. She made me go to the counselor. I'm not sure why I'd been avoiding that, but it really has helped. For one thing, Ms. Marks told me I should get back in the habit of journaling so here I am!_

 _I still feel so guilty for Chloe. Part of me wonders why it hurts so much, since I hadn't even seen her in years, but that's the stupid part of me. (Pretty big part, I know.) How long did I tell myself that I'd make it up to her for never texting or calling after I moved, after her dad died. Now, I'll never have the chance to make it up, to reconnect, to tell her how much she meant to me, how much I loved her. Ms. Marks says I should try to remember the good things, to help balance out the memory of her lying on the floor... no, not good. Not going to recall that. Good things…. Like playing pirates up at the lighthouse. I wonder if they ever replaced the map we vandalized with our treasure map. I hope not, it might be fun someday to go up there and try to find our treasure. Oh Captain, my Captain, you were the best and deserved so much better. I'm sorry. I'm not sure what I believe in, like afterlife stuff. Kate believes, she says that there must be more to this world than the things we see around us. She says it's just as important to forgive yourself for your sins as it is to forgive others. I'm not sure I can do that, yet, but I'll try._

 _It's not all been bad, though! Apparently, I'm a sleep psychic! Or at least, was for a day. I know I should probably be worried a lot more about why I found odd entries in the back of this journal, but I'm not sure worrying about it will do any good. A different part of me (different from the stupid part, I'm pretty sure) (so many parts!) tells me just to go with it. Most of it was just silly stuff, but somehow, it's ended up turning my whole world upside down. I'm FRIENDS WITH THE VORTEX CLUB! I know!_

 _I guess when really bad things happen, it gives everyone a sense of perspective. Like, who cares about who is better dressed or more popular or who likes who, it's all kinda silly when you think about it. I'd never bothered to try to figure out what was really going on with people. Dad told me once that you never know what life anyone is living, which is why you should treat everyone with kindness. Anyway, I guess it all started when I reached out to Taylor (Yes, that Taylor!). Then she reached out to Kate, then she REALLY reached out to Kate, if you know what I mean (wink wink). And then I went shopping with Courtney and well, Kate and I just kind of ended up hanging around with them. I still don't know the boys very well. Logan seems like kind of a jerk and I just know something ugly went down between him and Dana, but Zachary is nice enough. He's a bit dim but was always pretty pleasant to me even before. Hayden spends a lot of time stoned, but I'm trying not to be judgey._

 _I guess that brings it all around to the biggest news! VICTORIA! Apparently, she actually likes me! I mean, what kind of BS trope is 'I pick on you because I like you.' Someday, I'll have to give her endless shit about that. I guess I started noticing when she came to funeral, even though a lot of folks gave her nasty glares because she was so close to Nathan and all. Then, when I had my little fainting spell she waited outside the counselor's office to make sure I got back to the dorm safe. Of course, dreampsychicMax somehow knew, maybe there were signs all along. Kate and Taylor (OMG! Kaylor? Tate? Chrarsh? Marshtensen?) figured it out, both that I liked her and she liked me and they schemed to make it happen. I wonder if scheming about V and I was just an excuse for them to hang out or if, after hanging out, they realized they liked each other. I never even knew Kate was gay or bi or whatever! Of course, Kate and I only got really close after everything happened, but still…_

 _Sorry, back to the main topic. TORI! I call her Tori now, sometimes, well always in my head, but only sometimes out loud. At first, I think maybe it annoyed her, but now I think she secretly likes it. Kinda like when she calls me Maxine. No one else can call me that, but when she does, I feel special. Wow, the only other person who calls me that is Mom… what kind of sick psychosexual stuff does that imply?! Maybe I should ask Ms. Marks about that. Maybe not!_

 _Anyway, we like each other. So, you may ask, oh magical journal, why am I sitting here on a Wednesday night writing in you instead of making out with my hot new girlfriend? Of course, it had to be complicated! Tori has a lot of layers and I don't think its easy for her to trust people or let herself be herself. I wonder what her parents are like. T kind of intimated that they were a bit harsh with her, demanding. I'm so lucky to have the best parents in the world! Anyway, at first, I assumed she'd ask me out right away once she'd learned I liked her, because she's always so take-charge. Then I realized that she'd never put herself out there like that. She's so strong in so many ways, and so insecure in others. I just want to hold her and reassure her about how awesome she is! So then I was going to ask her out, but then I realized that I couldn't just ask her out. Tori does like her some drama, after all._

 _That's when I decided to have a little fun. If she was going to make me work for it, well it only seemed fair for me to put a little pressure on her too! After consulting with T, I decided to SEDUCE her! (!) Max Caulfield, temptress. Max Caulfield, femme fatale! Who knew how much fun that would be! Teasing her in the shower room, telling her I needed to draw her anatomy. I'd figured at some point, she might just give in and outright kiss me, like Kate did with Taylor._

 _Of course, I should have known that nothing about Tori would be that easy. Just as soon as I started seducing her, she started seducing me! At least, I think that's what was going on, with her unbuttoning her blouse and flashing her flat stomach. I mean seriously, how many crunches does that woman do? I wonder if Taylor is playing us both. I'll have to ask Kate. She'll tell me! Anyway, I barely got out of there alive! I don't know how much longer either of us can last, but it's so much fun that I'm going to try to hold out a little longer. I really don't doubt anymore that she likes me and I think she's finally got the message that I like her. Now it's just… what's the opposite of denouement? I should pay more attention in English class._

 _Anyway, I have a scheme for tomorrow. As long as I can keep my own shit under control, she'll be jelly in my hands! Jelly? Why would I want jelly on my hands? Putty? What's putty? Like Silly Putty? Ok, hand is cramping after writing so much. I promise not to go this long again. Thank goodness I can type up my homework. Speaking of which, gotta go!_

-xxx-

Max: Kate! Was wondering something.

Kate: What's up?

Max: Did T tell V about my plan?

Kate: I shouldn't really say, you should ask her.

Max: OMG, Kate, you're her GF, of course I can ask you.

Kate: I'm not sure that's how it works

Max: FINE! :P

-xxx-

Max: Did you tell V about my plan?

Taylor: Maaayyyybeeeee Serves you right for outing me to her about K!

Max: OMG T! Did you tell her to seduce me too?

T: SHE SEDUCED YOU? DETAILS NOW!

Max: She tried, but I am above such base desires!

T: yaright! The two of you are like total horndogs

Max: I have no idea what you're talking about

T: OMG NOW YOU SOUND LIKE HER!

Max: I do not!

Max: Ok maybe.

Max: I need a favor

T: Of course you do. What?

Max: Can you arrange things at breakfast so I'm sitting next to V?

T: What am I, a maître d? (go autocorrect!)

Max: autocorrect?

T: like I knew how to spell maître d or make that squiggly thing happen

Max: Is that a yes?

T: Fine I'll do what I can but you owe me

Max: Oh wonderful T, sweet goddess, how can I ever repay you?

T: WITH DETAILS!

Max: There aren't any yet

T: When there are then

Max: Like what? I'll maybe give you ONE detail.

T: Hmmmmmm

T: Ok, ONE for this favor. But now that's the currency of the realm

Max: Nerd

T: Shut up. I want to know if she's loud when.. you know… 😉

Max: OMG! NO!

T: You said ONE detail, that's the detail.

Max: Y would u even want to know that!

T: So I can tease her about it duh!

Max: u guys are so weird

T: like you don't tease poor Kate

Max: I DON'T!

T: You should it's fun! 😉

Max: OMG STOP! Fine.

Max: It may be awhile, we aren't even dating

T: Knowing you two, Monday

-xxx-

Victoria: Did you get your homework done?

Max: Tori? You're texting me!

V: Yes, we are teens. This is how we communicate, or haven't you heard

Max: 😊

Max: Yes

Max: I mean yes I did my homework not yes I heard

Max: Though I had heard

Max: Well not really heard out loud but I knew that teens texted

Max: know not knew. I know we text

Max: We text therefore we are right?

V: Only you could babble in texts

Max: Sorry 😊

V: Don't apologize. It's cute.

Max: So, I'm cute?

V: Don't get ahead of yourself, Caulfield

Max: Ok CHASE! :P

V: Good night, Maxine.

M: G'night, Tori. 😊


	17. Thursday: Catching up with Friends

"I'm going to kill them both. Ouch!"

Kate shook her head fondly and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on top of her girlfriend's head. Taylor looked up accusingly from where she sat between Kate's feet. "I told you, keep your head still," Kate reminded her gently. Untangling the brush, the brunette got back to work grooming Taylor's long hair.

Taylor turned and endeavored to remain motionless. She sighed, letting the sensation of being cared for soothe her soul. "Well, I am," she finally continued. "They're about as subtle as… as…" She grasped for the right analogy.

"As subtle as a kiss right on the lips?" Kate teased, grinning fondly.

"I wish they _would_ just kiss and get it over with!" Taylor complained, resisting the urge to spin around and get 'subtle' with Kate right now. "Ohmigod, you should have seen them at breakfast."

"What happened? Why did Max want you to make sure she got to sit next to Victoria?"

"Exactly what I told you would happen!" Taylor announced triumphantly. "First it was, 'Oh, I need the salt' and leaning over V, pressing her boobs on her arm." She almost thought she could hear Kate's blush at the mention of 'boobs' but didn't dare turn around to verify. "Then, the footsie started."

"How do you know what their feet were doing?" Kate asked.

"Well, I assume that's what it was, the way they kept squirming around in their seats and blushing. I swear, V almost 'eeped' at one point."

"Eeped?"

Taylor smirked deviously and ran a hand up the inside of Kate's thigh.

"Eep!" Kate eeped.

"Eeped," Taylor confirmed. "Then, it really got bad!"

Still struggling to de-eepify, Kate took some quick cleansing breaths before refocusing on the brushing. "What do you mean?"

With a heavy sigh, Taylor sagged against Kate's leg, flinching when the unexpected movement caused a brief snarl with the brush. "I mean, Victoria started fighting back."

Kate paused, conscious of the heat and pressure of Taylor's head against her knee. Her heart began to beat faster at the contact, so casually intimate yet so laden with promise. She'd learned quickly that Taylor was much more touchy-feely than she was and probably didn't think anything of the contact. For the past few days, though, Kate had struggled to restrain her more 'primal' urges. Ever since she'd kissed Taylor, she had unleashed a part of herself that she'd long attempted to suppress, not because of any concern about sin, but simply because of her own insecurities and inexperience. Taylor had been so kind and caring, never trying to push Kate into something she wasn't ready for. Kate knew that Taylor had a lot more experience than her. That didn't make her jealous, but it did make her worry that she wouldn't be any good or do things right. Leaning across a table and pressing her chest against Taylor's arm sounded very pleasant indeed. The thought of Taylor's chest did nothing to slow her pulse either.

"Why did you stop?" Taylor interjected, happy that Kate couldn't see the gleam in her eyes. She had a strong suspicion as to what was going on in her girlfriend's head. Kate had set the tone from the start and Taylor remained thankful for it. She could wait for Kate to take things to the next level. Making out with her was more than enough for Taylor, for now, but it felt good to know that she wasn't the only one who wanted more. Teasing, she nuzzled Kate's knee ever so slightly before sitting back up.

"Sorry," Kate managed, restarting the brush. "You were saying, it got worse when Victoria started doing something."

Taylor groaned at the recollection. "As a slap to the face, that's how subtle. 'Maxine, you have something on your chin, here let me get that for you.' 'Oh, I dropped my napkin, excuse me while I bend over your lap to pick it up.'"

"She didn't say that! Did she?"

"Not exactly but she might as well have. I swear, one minute I expect them to start going at it right on the table, the next they act like they barely know each other!" She grunted in frustration and continued her story. "So, now Max apparently decides to up the ante. She wraps an arm around Victoria's shoulders and takes a selfie of the two of them!"

"That's good, though. I've been worried that Max hasn't been taking pictures all the time any more. That feels like a good sign," Kate pointed out.

Taylor snorted, "Yeah, I guess, but of course Victoria goes off on how Max is the 'selfie ho' of Blackwell and then Max is all 'You're just jealous because my selfies are so great' and V is all 'Oh really' and then she pulls out _her_ camera and puts her arm around Max's waist and takes a selfie of her own and they're both just blushing head to toe and I'm like JUST KISS HER ALREADY!"

"You didn't say that!"

"No, of course not, but I wanted to! They drive me nuts!" She barely stopped herself from throwing her head back in frustration.

Kate put the brush down and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Taylor as she rested her cheek on a pillow of blonde. "They know where they're going. They're just having some fun along the way. They'll get there eventually."

Taylor spun slowly and tilted her head up. "Like we did?" she offered.

"Well, not as efficiently as us, of course," Kate observed, placing a soft kiss on Taylor's ready lips.

Taylor slid up to sit on the bed, never breaking the embrace, as Kate ran her fingers through her hair. "You're going to tangle it up again," she murmured between kisses.

"Then, I'll just have to brush it out again," Kate promised, pulling Taylor down on top of her as she laid back. She felt Taylor's arm fall across her lap, hand resting lightly on her hip as they made out and came to a decision. Extracting one hand from the silky tresses, she laid it atop Taylor's and delicately but deliberately shifted it upwards.

"Are you sure?" Taylor whispered, pulling back enough to read Kate's face clearly.

Kate nodded, face flushed, and pressed Taylor's hand down firmly. She nuzzled against her girlfriend's neck and started planting tiny kisses in a line from her ear to her throat.

Taylor carefully cupped Kate's breast, reveling in the way the cotton of her blouse slid against her bra. Taylor suspected that Kate's bra and other undergarments leaned far more toward practical than decorative, but that only opened the door for some interesting shopping expeditions in the future. 'She _is_ sneaky busty,' she realized, subconsciously sizing her girlfriend.

The feel of Kate's tongue dancing along her skin distracted her for a few moments before Taylor resolved to be the distractor not the distractee. She grasped more firmly, squeezing soft flesh and eliciting a delightful moan. She felt Kate's nipple hardening under her palm and focused some attention there. Kate quivered in her arms and stopped kissing her entirely, lost in the new sensations. Taylor considered slipping her hand underneath the hem of Kate's blouse, aching to touch her bare stomach and get one layer closer to her, but resisted the urge. She glanced over at the clock by the bedside, knowing Kate wouldn't want to skip class. 'Well, she might,but she'd regret it later,' Taylor mused. In her current state of distraction, Kate likely had no sense of time at all.

Shifting again, Taylor released Kate's bosom, slid her hands behind her neck, and pulled her into a deep kiss. Kate made adorable little mews of discontent at first, but soon melted into the kiss. After a good minute or two of that, Taylor pulled away.

"Time for class, petal," she said firmly.

Kate pouted briefly but, with a deep breath, regained some semblance of control. She shot Taylor a thankful glance, wondering again at how fortunate she was to have found someone who always knew exactly the right thing to do. "Class, yes," she replied. Suddenly, she beamed and hugged Taylor super tight. "You're the best girlfriend ever, you know that, right?"

Taylor grinned and kissed the top of Kate's head. "Yep! And don't you forget it!" She tussled Kate's hair fondly and stood up, unfolding from the bed with a long, languid stretch. It had been a lovely lunch period, even if she hadn't eaten a bite. Maybe Max and Victoria weren't entirely wrong to enjoy the journey instead of rushing to the destination after all.

Neither were conscious of it, but little moments like these are the ones which accumulate over time and gradually turn _like_ into _love_.

-xxx-

Late October in the Pacific Northwest typically did not accommodate _al fresco_ dining, but on this particular Thursday, the sun shone brightly, and the air remained calm. Thus, Victoria, Courtney and Dana found themselves out on the quad at a picnic table, enjoying the rare sunlight and fresh air as they ate lunch.

"We never see you any more, Dana!" Courtney accused, smiling to remove any edge from her words. "I mean, seriously, I guess Trevor is cute and all, for a skater boy, but make time for your friends much?"

Dana laughed and patted Courtney on the hand, "I know, Court, I'm sorry! You know how it is right at the start of a relationship."

Courtney pouted, "Not since last spring." She glanced over at Victoria slyly. "But someone else might know what you're talking about…"

Victoria sighed and rolled her eyes, ignoring Courtney's attempt at innuendo. "Yes, I'm sure Taylor does. As if we don't know where she's at right now."

"Ohmigod," Dana replied, "I still can't believe that she's dating Kate! How the hell did that happen?"

In her element at last, Courtney stepped to the plate. "Well, it all started when they were working on a joint project together and one thing led to another and Kate kissed her! Can you imagine, sweet innocent Kate Marsh just laying one on Taylor out of the blue!?"

"Do they even have any classes together now that Photography is cancelled?" Dana asked.

"Hmmm," Courtney pondered. "I don't know?"

Knowing full well what "project" had brought Taylor and Kate together, Victoria could see where this was train was heading and moved to derail it. "How did you and Trevor get together?"

As Dana regaled them with the tale of her friendship with Trevor and the long road through flirting to dating, Victoria tuned out. Truthfully, she didn't care about the details or really about Trevor at all, whom she barely knew. Dana seemed happy, that was all that mattered, and she appeared to be much better off with Trevor than with Logan.

Instead, Victoria scanned the courtyard, noting that the sun had brought out many students. Of course, her eyes quickly landed on one Maxine Caulfield, who seemed to be just wrapping up her lunch with that Warren boy and his girlfriend whatshername. Victoria suspected that this Warren had had a crush on Max, based on observing their interactions carefully, and had thus been quite pleased to learn that he was now dating that girl. As the three of them headed back towards the school building, she strained her ears to listen in on whatever they were talking about.

"You'll love it," Warren said enthusiastically. "It's absolutely the best MST3K ever!"

"I thought they always did like sci-fi B movies," Max said.

"Usually, but trust me, this one is incredible. 'I Accuse My Parents' is the bomb!"

"Ok then, I guess it's a date!" Max replied. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she began scanning the area.

"Ohmigod, Maxine!" Victoria heard herself calling out. "Now you're setting up threesomes? I said you were a selfie ho, not a ho ho."

"Ho ho ho!" Max replied with a weak chuckle. "Merry Christmas?"

Victoria shook her head, eyes rolling. "You're such a nerd, Caulfield," she said, though the words came out with a great deal more fondness than she'd planned. She tried to hide the smile which threatened to crack. God she really did love this dork!

"We're going to watch the best MST3K ever tomorrow night," Warren inserted, "Wanna join us?"

Victoria raised an eyebrow. For a moment, Classic Victoria roused herself from a deep slumber. Who the hell did this loser think he was to invite _Victoria Chase_ to join his nerdfest?! A dozen withering replies hovered at the tip of her tongue, each sure to crush his fragile spirit to the point where he would never dare to address any member of the Vortex Club directly again. His girlfriend apparently knew what to expect. The nerdette had clenched a fist and seemed ready to attack.

One glance over at Max, however, and the moment passed. New and Improved Victoria reasserted herself, banishing the other back to her dungeon. Having avoided the impulse to attack, she now took a moment to consider the request. Images of snuggling up under a blanket with Max, eating popcorn, watching a horrible movie, pressing up against her, maybe leaning over in the dark and…. Tempting. But no. Not for their first date, anyway.

Before Victoria could reply, though, Max stepped in. "I'm sure Victoria has lots of things to do to prepare for the dance on Saturday, right?"

"Yes, of course," Victoria replied. On the one hand, she felt grateful for the excuse Max had found for her. However, she could not help but feel a little disappointed at how quickly Max had rejected the idea. Didn't she want her there?

As if reading her thoughts, Max smiled warmly and leaned down to brush a small leaf off Victoria's shoulder. That one touch reassured Victoria completely. The game was still on. She flashed Max the briefest shy little smile before floridly turning back to Dana and Courtney, who both had been watching this interaction in utter confusion. "Speaking of the party, where are we on decorations, ladies?"


	18. Friday: Necessary Steps

" _We can skip the next part if you like."_

" _No, please don't. It's important."_

" _Ok."_

Max's nightmares typically focused on things that had never happened: Kate standing on the roof of the dorms, ready to jump; Chloe stuck on the tracks with a train bearing down on her; Max tied to a chair in a bright room; even crazier things like a giant tornado destroying the town. This time, they depicted much more realistic events.

" _We're sitting here. Find another way inside and while you're doing that, why don't you go fuck your selfie." Blocking the entryway to the dorm, Victoria, Courtney and Taylor laugh at her and then go back to their conversation, as if acknowledging her existence long enough to mock her further would be beneath them._

Images and memories swirl, blending together, with one common denominator: Victoria. More specifically, Victoria treating her like absolute shit.

" _Do you just reach into the Walmart bargain bin with your eyes closed or do you actually choose to dress like that?"_

Mocking, attacking, at every opportunity, with no provocation.

" _You're such a poser, Shitfield. You may fool everyone else with your 'Woe is Max' martyr bullshit but I see right through you!"_

" _Ohmigod, do you really think your retro chic hipster bullshit makes you cool? Quite the opposite, Lamefield!"_

So much anger, bordering on hatred, from someone she didn't even know, someone who certainly didn't know her.

At some point, Max woke up, but slowly. The nightmares faded but actual memories filed in to fill the gaps. Some of those things had never happened, but some had. Others certainly could have. Max felt sick to her stomach.

'That's not who she is anymore,' she tried to tell herself. 'You know that. She's trying to change. She only did those things because she's insecure, just like you are.' A small kernel of Max's brain ran through logical arguments, but still, she felt ill. The inner Kate counseled her to forgive. Other parts of her tried to remind her of the fun they'd been having the last couple days, the flirting, the secret touching, the anticipation.

Max struggled out of bed and began her morning routine, trying to banish the lingering effects of the nightmares. She watered Lisa, picked out some clothes (with her eyes open), and showered, running late. As she got her breakfast and made her way to the dining room, she tried to clear her mind completely. She tried.

-x-

Friday. One day to the dance. Victoria had no doubt that today was the day. Today, Max would finally ask her. Between reliving every grazed fingertip, every subtle nudge with a foot or knee, or imagining how the Big Ask might go, Victoria felt as keyed up as she could remember. 'She's late,' she fretted.

Today, Victoria had deployed a great deal of her arsenal to ensure that the seat directly across from her remained open for Max. Yesterday, she'd randomly ended up seated next to her and that had proved quite the boon. She glanced over at Taylor and smirked. If that girl had any idea what sorts of secret flirting she and Max had done at breakfast yesterday, she'd flip out! This morning, though, the new seating arrangement provided all sorts of opportunities for mischief. If Maxine wanted flirting and seduction, she'd get it! 'I'll start by slipping off my shoe and running my foot up her leg,' she schemed.

"Oh hey, Max," Kate said, interrupting Victoria's plotting. "There's a seat here for you!"

Adrenaline surged as Victoria looked up, a challenging smirk on her lips. Intent as she was on implementing her plan, she did not notice the odd look on Max's face.

"Really, Lamefield, I thought you were trying to get up early, not roll out of bed at the last minute," she said. Finally making eye contact, Victoria fell silent, eyes widening as she took in Max's expression of panic. "Max?" she said hesitantly.

"'Lame…' I… I… I can't do this," Max said, suddenly shaking. "I can't…" She quickly threw her tray on the closest table and ran out of the cafeteria.

"Max!" Kate called. "Max, what's wrong?" She shifted in her seat, but Taylor's hand on her shoulder prevented her from standing. Kate glared over at her girlfriend, but Taylor was staring hard at Victoria. Victoria sat, eyes quivering, clearly in shock.

"Go," Taylor commanded. "Now! Go after her!"

"But... what… I don't…" Victoria stammered.

"It doesn't matter!" Taylor shouted. "Just GO!"

Victoria nodded and dashed out of the cafeteria.

Taylor sighed and released Kate's shoulder. "Sorry, petal," she whispered. "I just…"

Kate sagged against Taylor's side. "I know, it was about clearly about her, so she should be the one to go, but what if…"

"If… well, _if_ , I'll take care of V and you'll take care of Max and we'll figure it out as we go." She laid her arm around Kate and pulled her close. "Goddamnit," she whispered to the universe in general.

-x-

*knock*

"Max, can I come in?"

Hearing no response, Victoria tried the door. As she'd hoped, Max hadn't locked it behind her. Tentatively, she opened it and peeked inside. She couldn't help her first impression. 'God, it's a mess.' Stepping carefully past a stack of books, she slid inside. Max lay face down on her bed.

"mmgommway"

"I can't hear you when you're talking into your pillow," Victoria said gently, trying to break some of the tension.

Max lifted her head just enough. "Go away."

"Oh," Victoria replied sadly. Instead of leaving, though, she delicately lifted a discarded hoodie off the corner of the bed by Max's feet and sat. Max instantly scooted her legs away, curling up at the head of the bed and burying herself back in her pillow.

"Can we talk about what just happened?" Victoria asked, her voice so soft that Max almost didn't hear her.

Max shook her head and scrunched up even more.

Victoria could hear her crying and the sound broke her heart. Tentatively, she laid a hand on Max's ankle. "Maxine, please," she pleaded. "Talk to me." She began to rub her gently, encouragingly.

"mmntmmlkmmmit"

Giving the ankle a tender squeeze, Victoria said, "Pillow again, Maxine. Please. Please talk to me."

Max sighed and rolled over, sitting up and pulling her knees in close to her chest, now even further away from Victoria. Reluctantly, the blonde girl withdrew her hand and laid it on her lap.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Max repeated. "It's stupid."

"I don't think it is," Victoria pointed out. "Please, try me."

Max threw her head back in frustration. "I just... these stupid nightmares... I mean... I know that you're not that way anymore… but then… I just…" She dropped her head onto her hands, crying audibly. "I just…"

"Oh," Victoria whispered again, beginning to understand. 'I've been so stupid and selfish,' she thought. Out loud, she began, "Max. Maxine. Were your nightmares about… about me?" 'Please say no, please say no.'

"Yes."

Victoria stood up, ready to flee. This girl she cared about so much, this girl in front of her, a sobbing wreck, wracked with nightmares because of how she'd treated her. 'I don't deserve her. I don't deserve anyone.' Every ounce of her longed to run and keep running.

-xxx-

" _Why didn't you?"_

" _I wanted to. God, I wanted to. I hated myself so much in that moment."_

" _Tori…"_

" _I did. How could someone like me ever deserve someone like you?"_

" _You don't still think that, do you?"_

" _No, not really… maybe… sometimes. When I'm being stupid or maybe hormonal."_

" _Way to set feminism back twenty years."_

" _Shut up, I'm being serious."_

" _I know. Sorry. I'm glad you didn't run."_

" _Me too, love, me too."_

-xxx-

Max looked up when she felt the bed shift. 'I've ruined everything,' she thought. 'Why am I like this?' She could see the urge to go in Victoria's eyes, saw her shift slightly towards the door, but much to Max's surprise, she stopped. Her shoulders fell, and she slumped down in a way Max had never seen. Victoria always stood tall, as if daring the world to come at her. Not now.

"Max," she said to the door, unable to bear the sight of the girl she liked so very much in so much pain, "I'm sorry."

The pain in Victoria's voice flipped a switch inside Max. Her own misery momentarily forgotten, all she could do was try to comfort. "It's ok, really… I know… I mean, I understand… Tori, please, it's just as much my…"

"No. No, it's not, and we both know it," Victoria said firmly. "It's _my_ fault. For being such a horrible bitch in the first place and then for convincing myself that it was ok to just pretend it had never happened, that I could just… that we could just…"

Max stood up carefully and laid a hand on Victoria's shoulder. Cautiously, she guided her back to the bed, sitting alongside.

"I'm just so sorry," Victoria continued. "Even if we can't ever be friends or… or anything else… please just know _that_ at least, that I'm sorry." Her voice broke and she dropped her head, staring at her hands folded in her lap, waiting for the earth to swallow her up.

Max had dreamed of being the person who could comfort Victoria when she opened up, when she let herself be vulnerable. She ached to hold her, to stroke her hair, to reassure her that it was all alright.

But… It wasn't alright. Deep down, Max knew Victoria was right. This was almost entirely on her. Sure, Max had been shy, easily intimidated, but social anxiety was not a crime and she'd never done anything to deserve the way Victoria treated her. She couldn't just pretend that it didn't matter. It did matter, and she'd sworn to herself that, if nothing else, she'd always be honest with Victoria. She suspected that she might be the only person in the world of whom that could be said.

Unable to ignore the hurt completely, Max took Victoria's hands between her own. "You're right," she said sadly. Victoria sobbed and lowered her head further, not daring to make eye contact. "I promised you that I'd never lie and if I said that the way you treated me, or Kate, or lots of other people was Ok, I'd be lying. It wasn't."

"I know," Victoria whispered, voice hoarse with tears. "I'll go." She planted her feet to stand, but Max squeezed her hands and guided her back down.

"Wait, please," Max asked. "I wasn't done. You did things you're ashamed of, which you should be ashamed of, but you know enough now to _be_ ashamed. No one can change the past, all we can do is try not to repeat our mistakes, to do better." She nudged at Victoria's forehead with her own, trying to get her to lift her chin. "You're trying, Tori. You apologized to Kate, you apologized to me. You're trying to be less bitchy." She chuckled weakly. "I mean, a little bitchy is ok. You are you after all."

Victoria laughed despite herself. "Shut up!" she managed, before the sobs stole her voice again.

"I had some really bad nightmares, lots of things I guess I'd been ignoring decided to bubble back up. I think… I think this needed to happen. We both were so caught up in… well… you know… that we skipped a step or two."

"Like just becoming friends," Victoria offered, finally raising her eyes to meet Max's.

"Yeah, that," Max agreed. She dropped one of Victoria's hand and shook the other formally. "Hi, I'm Max Caulfield. Nice to meet you."

Victoria giggled and rolled her watery eyes. "You're such a dork sometimes," she murmured. Max simply held her hand and waited. "Fine! Hello, Max, I'm Victoria Chase. A pleasure, I'm sure."

"There," Max said, "fresh start."

Victoria sighed, and her smile faded. "I don't think it's that easy."

"It's as easy or hard as we want it to be," Max replied softly. "Ms. Marks told me that you can't make the bad memories go away. You can only try to balance them out with good ones. The last couple of days, well… we've been making some pretty good memories."

Victoria blushed and nodded, her smile sneaking back.

"And I think, maybe, from now on, we can make a lot more," Max concluded.

"I hope so," Victoria whispered. She squeezed Max's hand and looked back down, trying to catch her breath and regain some composure.

"To that end," Max began, smiling at the mix of hope and fear on Victoria's face as her head flew back up. As wonderful and necessary as this had all been, she knew they had come far enough for one day. They were both emotionally spent; anything added on top would just be too much.

"To that end, will you save me a seat at lunch? I promise not to have a panic attack, this time."

"I promise not to cause one," Victoria pledged. "And I'll definitely save you a seat."

"We should get to class now. We already missed a week of English when Ms. Holda was out." Max stood up and helped Victoria to her feet.

"Can I walk with you?" Victoria asked shyly. "Shy" was a side of Victoria Max had never seen, but one she immediately found immensely enjoyable.

"I'd like that," Max replied.


	19. Friday: Final Preparations

[A/N: Usually, the chapters jump ahead some period in time, but this one begins immediately after the last. Just wanted to give you a heads-up, since it is different than what I've been doing. Just couldn't resist this initial scene after it popped into my head! 😊 ]

"I'd like that," Max replied.

Victoria smiled and darted across the hall to grab her books while Max collected her things. A quick glance at her phone showed Max that they were running early, having skipped most of breakfast. That only meant that they'd have the campus to themselves for the most part, as very few of Blackwell's students made it a point to arrive to their morning class early.

"Ready?" Max asked as Victoria emerged from her room.

"Mmhmm," Victoria replied, the lightest flush of pink still visible on her cheeks. She fell in beside Max as they headed toward the stairs. At first, they strode in companionable silence, each still processing the emotions of the morning.

Victoria felt an odd mix of relief and concern. She knew that their conversation had been vital and that it had lifted a huge weight off her shoulders, but she worried about the notion of becoming "friends." She wanted to be more than friends with Maxine! She wanted to press her against the nearest tree and ravish her with kisses, nibbling each freckle in turn, across her entire body. It might be selfish and stupid to want so much more so soon, when they were just starting to get to know each other, but she couldn't help it. She wanted it all. And she wanted it now.

For her part, Max worried about timing. She'd had a plan. Well, technically she still had a plan, where this entire week's worth of flirting, innuendo and words unspoken would finally culminate in one grand romantic moment worthy of someone like Victoria Chase. She'd dreamed about the look on Tori's face when it happened; she'd fantasized about her possible reactions. Max began to understand the appeal of 'prom-posals,' which she'd previously thought a stupid idea. Now, though, would it be too soon? They'd made a real breakthrough this morning and she didn't want to jeopardize it by moving things forward too quickly.

"Max?" Victoria asked quietly as they emerged from the dorms onto the courtyard. The sudden sound, gentle as it was, startled Max from her fretting. "Are you going to the dance tomorrow night?" 'Friends ask each other things like this,' Victoria thought. 'Nothing strange at all. Totally normal friend thing.'

"I was planning on it," Max replied, grinning. Surreptitiously she slid a step closer to Victoria's side, shifting her bag to her other shoulder, so her right hand hung freely. Completely by chance, she let it bump into Victoria's hand. The fleeting touch sent shivers through them both. "I know you guys have been working super hard on decorating and can't wait to see it all," she continued.

"We still have a lot of work to do," Victoria replied, holding her voice steady. 'Friends talking about friend things,' her brain said while her hand managed to sway along the path of Max's once again. "That reminds me, I should apologize to Kate for stealing Taylor away from her tonight, but we need her help."

The girls emerged from the dorm courtyard and made their way toward the main quad. As their destination came into sight, they slowed their pace. They had the entire quad to themselves and neither felt any great desire for their journey to end.

"She's got bible study on Fridays anyway," Max informed Victoria, "and I asked her to come join us for the moviefest afterwards. She'll be fine." This time, she left her hand in contact with Victoria's, extending her pinky to intertwine with Victoria's. The soft sigh this elicited brought a surge of electricity.

'Just normal friend stuff, pinkies linked,' Victoria told herself, trying to control her racing heart. She and Taylor held hands sometimes, even she and Courtney, or all three as they walked together. Nothing unusual here. Delicately, she began to swirl her pinky around Max's, squeezing fingers together then dancing around, swirling back to front. It became almost a game to see how lightly she could touch her skin to Max's without breaking contact altogether. Somehow, the lighter the touch, the more maddening.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Max finally managed, re-engaging her speech centers. Every iota of her attention focused on the feel of Victoria's finger on hers, making it hard to focus enough to speak.

"To the movie night?" Victoria replied. She heard the hitch in Max's voice, noted how her pace had slowed to a crawl. For the first time since Max had appeared in the cafeteria, Victoria felt some sense of control, her confidence recovering with every slight shudder she felt where their fingers joined.

"No! I mean, yes, but… I mean, I'm looking forward to movie night, but I was talking about the dance," Max babbled.

"You're just adorable when you get flustered, Maxine," Victoria said, voice back to its normal strength. She locked her pinkie with Max's, letting their arms sway together between them. Victoria started walking a bit faster as they approached the main building finally. 'Get out while you're ahead,' she thought.

"Thank you," Max answered sweetly, struggling to figure out when Victoria had reasserted her control of the situation. As always, the roller coaster that was Victoria Chase left her breathless and anxious for more.

Victoria reluctantly released Max's hand as they entered class, but not before one last squeeze. "I'll see you at lunch," she promised, before heading to her normal seat across the room from Max.

-xxx-

Max: R u coming tonight?

Kate: Yes! Should be there by 9. How do I get into the boys dorm?

Max: Just text me and I'll come get you

Max: any free time tomorrow morning?

Kate: I think so, why?

Max: I'll tell you tonight! Have fun at BS

Max: oops bad acronym!

Kate: :p

-x-

Max: Can I ask a big big favor?

Courtney: Sure, Max

Taylor: Wow odd chat mix

Dana: Interesting group chat you've started

Taylor: Ha! Beat you to it!

Dana: Only cause my comment was longer!

Courtney: Did you forget to add V?

Max: NO! It's a secret!

Max: 😊

Courtney: :o

Max: nothing bad, promise!

Dana: u have come so far, grasshopper

Taylor: we're in! what do u need?

Max: nothing too hard, I hope

-xxx-

Kate: I miss you 😊

Taylor: Me toooooooooooo So many streamers…. So booorrreeed

Kate: Awww, poor baby!

Taylor: how's nerdfest?

Kate: Stop! You're horrible!

Taylor: 😉 u know I think nerds are hot, well at least one nerd

Kate: It's fun! This movie is really bad, but the robots are so funny!

Taylor: I'll take your word for it

Kate: Are you guys done?

Taylor: Not quite. Almost. Need to get V out of here to do the last bit

Kate: Why?

Taylor: Ask Max! 😊

Kate: Sweetie… I forgot something real important and I'm sorry

Taylor: ?

Kate: nothing horrible! Didn't want to ask in a text but… want to ask

Taylor: Ask what?

Kate: Will you be my date for the dance?

Taylor: OMG! YOU ASKED ME OUT IN A TEXT?

Kate: Sorry! I didn't know when I'd see you.

Kate: I'm helping Max in the morning

Kate: And you will be there early so I didn't

Kate: know if I'd see you in time

Taylor: KATE! STOP! OMG I'm kidding you!

Taylor: YESSSSSSSS!

Taylor: I'd love to be your date 😊

Taylor: I kinda assumed, you know…

Kate: I don't like to assume things

Taylor: 😊 can't wait!

Kate: 😊

-x-

Victoria: U up?

Max: yep! Movie just ended

Victoria: did u have fun?

Max: much fun was had by all

Max: how was decorating

Victoria: fine we're mostly done

Victoria: well I'm done… they had some last minute stuff

Max: I guess I'll see you there then!

Victoria: not coming to breakfast or lunch?

Max: nope… got some stuff to do 😊

Victoria: oh ok I'll see you there then I guess

Max: Yes you will

Max: You will see me there

Victoria: y are u being weird?

Max: I'm not!

Victoria: :-7

Max: What's that mean?

Victoria: It's me smirking at you, dummy!

Max: Oh

Max: Yeah, I can see that… can picture it too

Max: You smirk at me a lot 😊

Victoria: maybe

Victoria: you luv it though

Max: maybe 😊

Max: goodnight Tori

Victoria: night Maxine


	20. Saturday: Finally, the Dance (1)

Victoria Chase did not particularly enjoy feeling disgruntled. She understood the source of her disgruntlement, but that did little to make her less peeved. Saturday had finally come. Indeed, over half of it had already gone. As promised, Max had skipped both breakfast and lunch. In the morning, Victoria had lingered ever so briefly (no more than four or five minutes, tops!) outside her door, but heard nothing. She'd even gone so far as to examine the whiteboard outside Kate's door, carefully considering an appropriate message to write, even as she noted the silence from within her room as well.

She and the ladies of the Vortex Club had deliberately chosen the "Night Before" chores, leaving the "Day Of" duties to the boys and giving themselves the afternoon to get ready for the dance. Typically, the communal fashion show and make-up extravaganza ended up being as much, if not more, fun than the parties themselves. They'd gathered as always in Victoria's room, but this time Courtney was nowhere to be found. Dana and Taylor modelled outfits, quizzing each other on which was best suited to set their respective dates hearts aflutter. Victoria would have relished having Courtney nearby, if only to have someone to commiserate with about going to stag to the dance.

"Where is she?" Victoria inquired for the sixth time in the last hour.

"We told you a dozen times," Dana answered patiently. "She had some last-minute prep things to do. We'll meet here there." She exchanged a knowing look with Taylor, who winked behind Victoria's back.

"The whole point of wasting our Friday night was to avoid exactly that!" Victoria pouted.

"You know Court, she has a hard time saying no when someone needs help," Taylor pointed out. "It's fine, V. Just relax! What do you think of this blouse?" She held up a deep blue satiny top.

"I see it's button-down," Victoria commented archly, "I suppose that provides easy access to your tits."

Dana laughed, but Taylor arched an eyebrow, annoyed. "Geez, V, what the hell? You've been pissy all afternoon."

Victoria glared at Taylor, but when T refused to back down, she looked away, ashamed. "Sorry, I'm just…"

"You could have asked her, you know," Taylor said, more gently. Dana smiled reassuringly and nodded in agreement.

Victoria looked over at Dana but decided she couldn't summon the energy to care about hiding her feelings right now. Besides, Dana seemed to know exactly what Taylor meant. This didn't really surprise Victoria, as very few people tracked the pulse of Blackwell better than Dana.

"We talked about that, remember," she said finally. "I couldn't." Now, though, she wished she had. All day, she'd been waiting, never once dreaming that she wouldn't have Max as her date for this dance. Now, though, as she watched her friends' excitement over their dates, she felt unsure. Maybe Max had something planned still, but maybe she'd decided that 'friends' was all she wanted or needed. It would be like Max to not want to lead her on, even just by asking to walk over with her.

"Well, maybe you can ask her to dance," Dana suggested. "That's not the same as asking her out, right?"

"I guess not," Victoria admitted. Friends danced together all the time, after all. She let herself imagine finding Max, no doubt lingering in the shadows by a wall, and silently gesturing to her to join her on the dance floor. At first they dance near each other, but tamely, moving in time to the music, letting the beat and the flashing lights wash over them, now starting to relax and find the rhythm, coming closer, hips gyrating in sync, Victoria drapes her arms over Max's shoulders, pulling her closer, spinning her to face away and pressing her body up against the hipster's taut, firm….

"V! Hello? V! You still with us?" Taylor demanded, suppressing a giggle.

Victoria blushed and shook her head free of idle fantasies. "I was just deciding how to do my hair," she lied.

"Yeah, right," Taylor replied, letting her off the hook for now.

"Come on," Dana interceded, "let's get your outfit picked first, then we'll worry about hair and make-up!"

-x-

"Are you sure?" Max asked, turning her head this way and that in the mirror.

"Positive," Courtney replied, setting down her mascara pencil.

"I don't know, I've never worn this much make-up before."

"I think you look pretty," Kate offered from her seat at her desk. She held up Alice and added in a bunny-like voice, "and I do too, Max! You're my second favorite human!"

Max turned and grinned at Kate and her fuzzy buddy. "Still second, huh? I figured I'd be third by now, Alice!"

Kate blushed on behalf of Alice, who seemed incapable of such. "Well, maybe…"

Max smiled and reached over to pat Kate's knee. "I'm perfectly happy with that, silly. Your girlfriend should be your pet's second favorite human! But I'm still third."

"Can I be fourth?" Courtney asked, both excited and nervous.

"Of course!" Max and Kate both replied, turning back to their friend, who exhaled with happy relief.

"It's so kind of you to help us get ready," Kate added. "I've only been to a party once and…" Noting the sad looks on her friends' faces, as well as the lurch in her stomach, she changed subjects quickly. "I just want to be as pretty as I can for Taylor!"

"I think you could show up in a burlap sack and she'd still be gaga for you," Max observed wryly. Watching Taylor's struggles to keep her hands off Kate whenever they were together had become a source of great amusement for Max, when she wasn't busy trying to get her hands onto Victoria.

"Stop," Kate insisted, blushing.

Courtney chuckled and turned back to Max. "Ok, just a little lip gloss and you'll be all set! It will go perfectly with the outfit we bought last weekend."

"Do I really need all this?"

"It's barely any, Max!" Courtney wailed. "You didn't let me do anything! Don't you ever wear make-up?"

"Umm, no?"

Courtney looked at Max like she'd grown another head. "Well, you should. You're so pretty, and just this little bit totally sets everything off just right."

"Could we maybe go shopping sometime?" Kate asked. "I think… I'd like to maybe update my wardrobe a little."

"You mean find something hot that will make your girlfriend go all woogly," Max teased. "I don't think you need clothes to do that!"

"Max!" Kate shouted, scandalized.

Courtney laughed as Max tried to explain, "I didn't mean you didn't need clothes… I mean… you should wear clothes… not that there's anything wrong if you guys don't wear clothes… I mean… Aaah!"

Kate joined Courtney, giggling at the sight of a flustered Max. She could see suddenly what Victoria found so appealing. Her friend was simply adorable. "I know what you meant, Max," she said. Turning back to Courtney, she added, "I'm just sorry we're no help for you, Courtney. I mean, we'd love to help, but I don't think you'll get much out of our fashion advice or non-existent cosmetic skills."

Waving this off, Courtney replied, "Don't worry about it! I'm having so much fun helping you guys! Aren't you both just dying! I know I am!"

Kate and Max made eye contact and smiled at each other. Who would have guessed a couple weeks ago that the two of them would be getting ready for a Vortex Club party, with a member of the Vortex Club helping!

"I'm excited, too," Kate admitted. "It wasn't too bad that I asked Taylor in a text, was it?"

Courtney shook her head. "It's so romantic! Like, you wanted to go with her so bad that you just couldn't wait another minute!"

Max coughed, feeling a bit self-conscious, since she'd been doing nothing but wait another minute, or day, or week.

"No," Courtney spun to face her. "Your way is totally perfect, too. Like, you cherish her so much that you wanted everything to be absolutely perfect to knock her socks off!"

"I'm not sure we can both be doing things right, if we're doing the exact opposite of each other," Max suggested.

Courtney frowned and shook her head. "But you're totally different people!" She sighed dramatically and looked to the ceiling. "I have so much to teach you both!"

-xxx-

One benefit to being a senior, let alone the undisputed queen of the Vortex Club, was the ability to delegate mundane tasks to underclassmen, things like coat check, working the door, VIP bouncer, etc. Thus, Victoria had no need to appear at the party anytime other than fashionably late. Tonight, though, she'd barely managed to qualify as "late." Indeed, both Taylor and Dana had spent the last hour desperately trying to restrain Victoria from getting to the dance early. Now, finally, they'd agreed that it was time to go.

"You know, I am capable of going to a dance by myself. I'm not that pathetic," she noted. "Aren't your dates waiting for you?"

"They'll keep," Dana replied. "A little anticipation will do them good."

Taylor said nothing, as she'd only reluctantly agreed with Dana that they should remain on Victoria Duty till the very last minute. Kate too had insisted that their date could wait a little longer to help Max. 'If these two don't sort their shit tonight, I'm locking them in a closet and not letting them out till they're either dead or engaged,' she decided.

The three girls made their way across the quad toward the gym/pool where the dance was being held. Other students strolled along in that general direction as well, some lingering on the grass in the cool evening air. A pack of sophmores who had apparently been pre-gaming lurched ahead of them. Victoria noted with malicious glee how the attendants at the door denied them passage. The last thing the Vortex Club needed was underage drunk 10th graders puking all over their dance floor. The music hit them before they even made it inside. Handing off their coats and making brief small talk with the kids working the entryway, Victoria strained to peer inside, hoping to catch any glimpse of Max.

Sliding through the curtain to the dance floor itself, they noticed Trevor and Kate, both positioned close to the entrance, making uncomfortable small talk. Feeling each girl to either side suddenly tense up, Victoria said, "Go, I'll be fine." She had to speak loudly to be heard over the music, but Dana and Taylor clearly got the message as they moved over to talk to their respective dates. Victoria went back to scanning the room. 'Why isn't Max keeping Kate company?' she wondered. It seemed quite unlike Max to leave Kate alone. Maybe she hadn't come after all. The thought made her stomach clench and she felt tears start to form at the corners of her eyes.

"Victoria! Over here!" Courtney waved at her across the dance floor, her words only coming through as the DJ paused briefly between tracks. Victoria navigated the dance floor with a confidence she did not feel. Courtney stood by the entrance to the VIP Section. Victoria had argued most forcefully for keeping the VIP area. Recalling her words, something along the lines of "give the peons something to aspire to," brought a sense of shame. Maybe they should re-open that discussion at the next meeting.

"Where have you been all day?" Victoria demanded before Courtney could get a word out.

"I was… I mean…" Courtney struggled to remember her excuse, finding it hard to lie directly to Victoria, especially when she looked so annoyed.

Victoria waved a hand. "I suppose it doesn't matter now." Noting Courtney's upset look, she sighed and pulled the brunette into a hug. "I just missed you when we were getting ready, silly. The other girls have no idea how to do make-up right."

"I think you look great." Courtney beamed at her, basking in the praise. "Come on, let's go in."

"I guess," Victoria replied, her sudden uncertainty about the propriety of a VIP section diluting the typical joy she felt upon entering it.

Inside the thick curtains, the music faded enough to allow for relatively normal conversation. Victoria perused the area, habitually seeking out a particular figure. She noted the typical arrangements, small dance floor, separate seating area, small bar, but then she spotted something strange.

"What's that over there?" she asked Courtney, gesturing to a curtained-off corner. That hadn't been there last night.

Courtney giggled, "Oh, that's the SDVIP Section."

"The what?"

"The SDVIP Section," Courtney repeated.

"I heard you the first time, C. What the fuck is an SDVIP?"

"Let's go find out," Courtney suggested, hooking her arm through Victoria's and dragging her over. Unbeknownst to Victoria, Taylor, Kate, Trevor and Dana slipped into the VIP Section just in time to watch as Courtney yanked her away. The four shared knowing smiles and headed over to the bar (Dana and Trevor) and dance floor (Kate and Taylor).

Victoria's pulse began to quicken. 'Is this it?' she wondered. 'It has to be, right?' She desperately and unsuccessfully tried not to get her hopes up as they approached the mysterious curtain. She saw a piece of paper pinned there and read "Super Duper Very Importantest Person Only!" in suspiciously familiar handwriting. Her heart skipped a beat and she looked over at Courtney with all her hope in her now watery eyes. Courtney sniffled and gave a big hug before parting the curtains theatrically and gesturing her inside.

The SDVIP Section turned out to be quite small, intimate even, just a few square feet of the gym, set apart by the thick curtains. With two sets of fabric hanging between her and the DJ, Victoria couldn't hear the music at all. She waited in the dim light for just a moment before the light shifted across the way and she saw Maxine slide into the area. She looked incredible, slacks instead of jeans, a green, lacy silk blouse instead of a t-shirt. Victoria couldn't help but notice it was a button-down and felt her mouth go dry. Was she wearing make-up? Her heart all but stopped at the sight.

Max shifted slightly, reaching back through the curtains, and pulled her guitar out. With a deep breath, she strode forward, just outside of arm's reach. "Hey," she said softly.

"Oh Maxine," Victoria gushed, "you look so beautiful." It took until this moment for her to notice the guitar, absorbed as she was in the sight of Dress Up Max.

Max flushed and lowered her eyes for a moment. "You, too. I mean… wowzers, Tori."

"Are you going to…" Victoria gestured to the guitar. This couldn't be happening. Ohmigod it was so much better than she'd even dreamed. She looked… and setting all this up… and now she was going to…

"I hope it's not too cheesy, but when I heard this song, it just… well…"

Victoria nodded her head, unable to speak, but desperate to convey how much she wanted this. All of it.

Raising the guitar, Max strummed a couple times and after a deep breath, began to play and sing.

-xxx-

" _I see you now through tomorrow's eyes."_

" _And what do you see?"_

" _Love."_

[A/N: I generally don't like "Song Fics" but this song is so perfect and I decided a ways back that Max would serenade her at some point. The song in question is "My Hands" by Grey Reverend. I think it's very much in tune with the LiS Soundtrack and is from 2013, so here it is.

I'm not going to put the lyrics in the fic itself, but you can find them easily enough with a Google search, as well as the song on You Tube. Can't post URLs here, sadly. Sorry!]


	21. Saturday, Finally, the Dance (2)

As she strummed the last notes of the song, Max couldn't help feeling a little stupid. She wished she was a better guitar player, at least good enough not to have to look at her hands all the time to make sure they were positioned right. She'd dreamed for so long about how Victoria would react to, well, all of it, but now, she couldn't bring herself to look up. Her inner Chloe laughed at how stupid and cheesy it all was: SDVIP section? Guitar serenade? A fucking indy hipster love song? So over the top! The last notes drifted away, absorbed by the thick curtains surrounding them as Max finally summoned the courage to raise her head.

Victoria stood motionless, staring. She didn't say anything as her eyes met Max's. Max could find no words, her reserves of courage now fully depleted. She felt exposed, not only for finally sharing her feelings, but for revealing how silly and romantic and earnest she was, sides of herself she very rarely shared with anyone, let alone Victoria Chase. She liked her so much. Yesterday, the last barrier had fallen and now she'd let herself fall completely. But, it was so much, so soon. Probably way too much. She half expected Victoria to run screaming into the night. She struggled to find words, any words, to break the silence, but none came.

-x-

"What's happening?" Dana asked, dragging Trevor over to where Courtney stood guard.

"I don't know," Courtney reported. She resisted the urge to peek between the curtains with only the greatest effort. "I can't hear anything."

Taylor and Kate joined them, the former apparently ready to stick her head in to peek, only to be stopped by a tug from her girlfriend. Kate looked torn between the need to respect Max's privacy and the burning desire to know what was going on. "We practiced the song all morning. She's really good at it!" Noting confusion, Kate filled Dana and Trevor in on how she'd helped Max practice the song she'd prepared.

"She's singing her a song!" Courtney wailed. "Ohmigod, I'm going to die, that's so romantic!"

Taylor rolled her eyes a bit, earning a playful punch from Kate. "Hey!" she yelped. "Just so you know, roses or chocolates work just fine for me," she added.

"So, I shouldn't plan a personal concert for you, some romantic violin pieces to celebrate our one week anniversary?" Kate asked, batting her eyelashes and silently thanking Courtney for the time she'd spent on them earlier. Kate had accepted very little make-up, but even that little bit had made Taylor's head turn quite enjoyably this evening.

"Well… I… I mean," Taylor stumbled. "I mean you don't have to."

Courtney shook her head. "Such a romantic, T!" she mocked. She sighed and stared off into the distance. "I think that sounds lovely. I wish I had a boyfriend who would play music for me."

"Now that we've got Max and V sorted, you're next!" Dana promised.

"Do you think they _are_ sorted?" Kate asked, worried suddenly. "Do you think Victoria liked it?" She gestured vaguely to the SDVIP curtains.

Taylor laughed. "V? Let me tell you something about our beloved Ms. Chase…"

-x-

She'd listened with rapt attention to every word. She'd stared intently at the dexterity of Max's fingers on the guitar, marveling at her skill and eagerly anticipating what other talents such nimble fingers might have. In the back of her head, she calculated the level of effort and time it must have taken to set all this up, from arranging for the extra curtains to enlisting Taylor, Courtney, and Dana (for who else could've set this up), to finding the song and practicing it enough to master without sheet music, even to taking care to write the silly little SDVIP note outside.

Now, song over, she gazed into Max's eyes, heart pounding. She knew she should say something, but what words could ever express how deeply treasured she felt right now; how could she verbalize the warm contentment which enveloped her, the overwhelming adoration? In a flash, she recalled the weeks and months where her crush on Max filtered through her stupid brain emerging as abuse and torment. She relived recent weeks, where horrific revelations had forced her to re-examine her own behavior and priorities. Tentative changes, steps taken to atone for ill-considered actions, desperately trying to get past her own insecurities and stupidity, met at last with progress and resurrected hopes. The past few days, full of crackling potential, electric touches, soft words both spoken and not, silly texts, shared glances, blushes and goosebumps, stumbling forward to this moment, which she'd not let herself believe would ever come. And now, it was here. And it was perfect in every way. Words would not do.

Victoria took the guitar from Max's hands and set it carefully on the floor. She moved to stand in front of her, raising her hands to lie softly on Max's cheeks. Tilting her head back, she brought her lips down to meet hers. At first, she exerted only the slightest pressure, luxuriating in the feel of Max's soft lips on her own. Max sighed and melted against Victoria, almost knocking them both over. Victoria wrapped one arm around her waist to support her as she pressed her lips more fervently, her other hand continuing to stroke Max's cheek. Victoria could tell Max had no real experience kissing, but that didn't matter in the slightest. She guided her carefully, letting her fingers and lips show Max what she wanted, angling her head, nibbling at her lower lip, sliding her tongue to delicately explore, seeking Max's. Max gasped as she opened her mouth just enough.

"Tori," she murmured when Victoria paused to take a breath.

Victoria responded by kissing her way along Max's cheek, heading slowly towards her neck, biting gently here and there in a way which gave Max welcome chills.

Max struggled to retain some control of herself. She felt about two minutes from grabbing Victoria and making a mad dash back to her dorm room. "I take it you liked the song?" she managed.

Victoria now wrapped both arms about Max and stood up, letting her companion sag back comfortably. "What gave you that idea?" she asked in her arch tone, raising an eyebrow, but unable to hide her broad smile. "Oh. Maybe it was when I did this." With that, she pulled Max close, earning an Eep, and kissed her, much harder than before, daring for the first time to unleash just a bit of the passion boiling inside. Max groaned and tangled her fingers in Victoria's hair, returning the kiss with fervor and a rapidly-increasing level of skill. After a minute or two of that, Victoria pulled back.

"It was perfect," she said, suddenly demure. "You're perfect."

"Far from perfect," Max countered, blushing fiercely, matching Victoria's smile.

"Perfect for me," Victoria clarified primly. She nuzzled Max's neck briefly before sighing happily and pulling back again. She cast a suspicious eye toward the entrance, guessing quite accurately what was going on just beyond. "We should probably join the real world soon. I imagine there are some folks quite interested in what we've been up to."

"Not just yet." Max almost didn't recognize her own voice, sultry and laden with desire. She reveled in the expression of surprised delight on Victoria's face as she tugged her close and kissed her seriously. She wondered if it would always be this way between them, trading the lead back and forth, alternately in charge or happily led. She hoped so, because it felt intoxicating.

Victoria swooned, something she'd heard Courtney prattle on about but had never really understood until this very moment. How could someone whom Victoria was reasonably certain had never kissed anyone seriously before tonight be so good at it so soon? All thoughts of the dance or her friends or anything at all outside their enclosed little world vanished until finally Max released her lips. "Wowzers," Victoria heard herself say.

Max's eyes went wide and she began to giggle. After a moment of feigned offense, Victoria joined her and soon both were laughing out loud, finding yet another way to express the deep joy they both felt. "Dork," Victoria finally said. "Don't even think of telling anyone I ever used that word."

Max nodded, "Our secret." 'For now,' she added to herself. Interesting blackmail possibilities opened in her mind. Perhaps Victoria was rubbing off on her, too. Max reluctantly released Victoria and went to stow her guitar back into its case behind the curtain as Victoria checked her make-up in a hand mirror, tutting at Max about mussed lipstick. "Should I not kiss you when you're wearing lipstick, then?" Max asked wryly. "Cause you look fucking hot in it and wear it a lot."

The unexpected curse caught Victoria off guard, generating another blush. Aggressive, confident Max was a Max she found she quite enjoyed. "I didn't say that," she replied curtly. "Ready to join the world?" This came out a little sadder than she'd intended. As much as she looked forward to what the future might bring, ending this moment brought some melancholia.

Max took her hands and squeezed, smiling in sympathetic understanding. "I am. Oh, wait, one last thing." Victoria darted her a quizzical look. "Will you be my date for the night, Tori?"

Victoria rolled her eyes even as her heart spun in her chest. "Of course. It took you long enough to ask, Maxine."

"Hey, I could have texted you, like Kate did," Max said in her defense.

"There are things text is good for," Victoria explained patiently, patting down her blouse, "and others that it is not. Maybe I'll share some of the good ones later…" she added, flashing a deviously naughty smile. Before waiting for a response, she hooked an arm with Max's and pulled the curtains back with a flourish.

Courtney and Taylor ducked back quickly as Kate shook her head, embarrassed.

"Really?" Victoria asked, glaring playfully at her two best friends. Turning to Kate, she said, "I thought you at least would provide a good influence, Kathryn."

As Courtney and Kate both stammered out some apologies, Taylor slipped between the two of them and laid her arms across their shoulders. "We were just making sure you weren't fucking it up. Again!" She stuck her tongue out at Victoria.

"So?" Kate said, shooting Max an inquiring look.

Max grinned and folded herself into the crook of Victoria's arm, slipping her arm around her waist. "So. Yeah."

Courtney squealed and dashed away from Taylor to throw her arms around the two of them. "I'm so happy for you both. You're the cutest couple ever!" After a cough behind her, she spun. "Tied! You're all the cutest couples ever!"

Dana and Trevor picked this moment to return from the bar. "Who's the cutest what now?" she demanded.

Courtney threw up her hands in exasperation and looked ready to cry before Victoria and Taylor swooped in to embrace her. "We know what you mean, C, and thank you," Victoria said gently. Letting her friend go, she turned back to Max and extended a hand. "Would you care to dance, Caulfield?"

"I suppose," Max replied in a dry tone, arching an eyebrow. "Chase," she added.

Taylor snorted, eyes raised in supplication to the uncaring heavens. "I swear, the two of you…" she muttered, taking Kate's hand. "Come on, petal, let's show them how a normal well-adjusted couple behaves."

The couples moved toward the dance floor, only stopping when they noticed Courtney lagging behind, looking suddenly insecure. "Come on, C," Victoria called, and Max extended her free hand to take Courtney's and pull her along. "Let's have some fun."


	22. Sunday: Return of JournalTexts

_Sunday, October 20, 2013_

 _IT HAPPENED! I'm dating Victoria Chase! Everything went according to plan! D and T brought her to the dance and C brought her to SDVIP and then I came out with my guitar. She told me I looked beautiful. I played the song for her and then we just stood there, staring at each other, and she came over and just kissed me and it was the sweetest, most romantic thing ever. Then, she started kissing my neck and maybe biting a little and … well, eventually she said we should go but then I kissed her, like super sexy like and I must have done it pretty well because she actually said Wowzers! OMG!_

 _Of course, everyone was lurking outside when we came out and there were hugs and teasing and then we all went to the dance floor and it was just so much fun. She's such a good dancer. Maybe she can help teach me since I just kinda stand there and sway to the music, but V seemed pretty happy so maybe I wasn't so bad. Taylor was dancing all up on Kate making the poor thing blush, but I noticed that she didn't stop her or complain at all. Kate's a little thirstmonster I think! Tori and I are still trying to figure things out. We danced together, but not all sensuous like the other couples. We held hands when we took breaks but not much more than that. I'm not sure what I think about PDA, but I don't think I'd mind all that much, within reason. We even went out of the VIP Section and I got to check in with Warren and Brooke. They were so cute! Warren was excited for me, but I'm pretty sure Brooke hates V and only tolerates me._

 _D and T disappeared first. Taylor told them to 'get a room' at one point and I guess they took her advice! She's one to talk anyway because she and Kate vanished not long after. I feel bad that they had to spend most of yesterday and today apart helping me and V with our silliness but love them both for it._

 _I'M DATING TORIIIII!_

 _Sorry, just still so hard to believe. I'm so happy. After our talk yesterday, then tonight… it's just so much, but it feels so right. Part of me worries that we're both just reacting to all the horribleness from before, but we liked each other before that, so I think it's Ok, even if it took something tragic to get us to confront our own insecurities. I hope so. I should probably talk to Ms. Marks about it on Monday._

 _After T and K left, we danced a little bit more. The DJ started playing slow songs towards midnight and it felt so nice, just swaying back and forth in Tori's arms. I snuck a few kisses here and there and she has this way of just nuzzling my neck which gives me chills down my spine! Afterwards, we went for a walk around the campus. I don't think either of us wanted the night to end, so we just walked, holding hands. I don't even know that we talked about anything important, just like what we'd done that day, or about our friends, but it was just nice. I feel so close to her and we're just at the very beginning of whatever this is or will be._

 _I'm not going to worry about the future. I'm just going to try to enjoy the present._

 _Anyway, journal, we finally came back to the dorm. I guess I need to do some research on girl-girl relationships or something because truthfully it was a little confusing. Like, on a "normal" date (as if that's a thing) the guy walks the girl home, right? At least that's the way they do it on TV, but we both live across the hall from each other and there is no guy. So, we kinda stood in the middle of the hall between our rooms. I REALLY wanted to invite her in or have her invite me in, but I think we both sorta knew it might be too soon for "sleepovers." Seriously, I mean REALLY REALLY wanted. I think she wanted it just as bad, based on how hard she kissed me and how tight she hugged me before we finally said our good nights._

 _I knew I wouldn't be able to get to sleep anytime soon so I'm here, catching things up. Thanks magicdreamjournalofportent! I couldn't have done it without you!_

Max put the journal back in her bag, trying to decide whether or not to try to sleep when she heard a soft chime on her phone.

Victoria: u still awake?

Max: mmhmm kinda hard to sleep

Victoria: i know right ;)

Victoria: so whatcha doin?

Max: OMG a Phineas and Ferb ref?! I knew you were a secret nerd!

Victoria: I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about

Max: do u have a macro for that?

Victoria: :P well?

Max: if u must know… thinking about you! :)

Victoria: I was thinking about u 2

Max: really?

Victoria: mmmhmmm remember what I said earlier?

Max: that I was beautiful? :)

Victoria: yes, and?

Max: ummmm kinda got hung up on that one

Victoria: about texting?

Max: that it was good for some things and bad for others

Max: oooohhhhhh *blush*

Victoria: so cute

Victoria: Yes, exactly that, Maxine

Victoria: wanna know what exactly I was thinking?

Max: yes?

Victoria: Is that question?

Max: No

Max: I mean yes… not a question but

Max: yes I want to know

Victoria: Maxine

Victoria: you're text babbling again… you know I can't resist you when you do that

Max: you can't?

Victoria: nope… it makes me feel…

…

…

Max: feel?

Victoria: sorry… got very warm so had to slip out of my clothes

Victoria: Maxine, you still awake?

Max: YES sorry yes

Victoria: wanna see?

Max: see?

Victoria: [IMG FILE]

Max turned off her desk lamp and lay down on the bed, the room illuminated only by the glow of her touchscreen. She'd gotten out of the party outfit almost as soon as she'd gotten back to her room, but even her loose t-shirt and pajama bottoms felt suddenly quite confining. With a gulp, she clicked the icon to display the image. Victoria lay across her bed in a blue silk nightgown which barely covered her thighs, her long pale legs stretching across the mattress, crossed at the ankles, one arm holding the phone, the other behind her head as she winked for the camera. Max gasped and squirmed against the bed.

Victoria: u like?

Max: it's lovely

Max: u r so beautiful tori

Victoria: what r u wearing Max?

For the first time ever, Max wished she owned anything that could be classified as lingerie. The thought that less than twenty feet away, past just two doors, Victoria lay on her bed, in that, thinking about her with what were clearly impure intentions took her breath away. She fantasized about jumping up, dashing across the hall, throwing Victoria's door open and falling upon her where she lay.

'She's such a tease,' Max thought, smiling. They both knew it was much too soon for anything like that, but Tori wanted her to know that she wanted her, like that, when the time was right. 'I guess I started it,' she also realized, recalling whose idea it had been to start the seduction game. Well, if it was a game, it was clearly her turn. She didn't own any fancy sleepwear, but Max knew she didn't need it to make Victoria sweat a little, too.

Max: [IMG FILE]

Victoria's eyes widened. During the long pause after she'd sent the pic, she'd worried that perhaps she had gone too far. They'd kissed, sure, but it was a bit of leap from kissing and slow dances to early morning sexting. Not that a PG-13 pic like hers counted as sexting, but given Max's relative inexperience, it probably felt like it for her. She started to type out an apology when she saw the telltale dots appear, so she waited. Now, this. A chill ran down her arm as she clicked the pic icon.

Max truly deserved her rep for selfies. The image showed Max sitting on her bed, her back against the wall, her knees drawn up in front of her, bare arms wrapped around bare legs, covering what seemed to be a completely nude Max. The picture itself revealed nothing, except the one salient point that the subject was nude.

Max: I guess I'll have to have C take me shopping again

Max: as you can see, I have nothing to wear to sleep

Victoria: I can see that… and I'll take you, thank you!

Max: aww don't be jealous, Tori

Victoria: as if! OMG! MAX!

Max: what is it?

Victoria: quiet!

Max: duh its text, there's no noise WHAT?

Victoria: I think I heard a moan from Kate's room

Max: WHAT?!

Victoria: listening… wait….

Max: stop! You shouldn't… what do you hear?

Victoria: OMG! It's T!

Max: Tori give them their privacy!

Victoria: ur no fun!

Max: I'm very fun thank you!

Victoria: Are you now? I'll be the judge of that

Max: yes you will tomorrow

Victoria: so, is that a date?

Max: If I say it's a date will you suddenly appear?

Victoria: do u want me to?

Max: more than anything but

Victoria: I know sweetie I know Tomorrow then?

Max: sweetie? :) :) I like that. Tomorrow for sure!

Max: save me a seat at b'fast?

Victoria: of course. Good night, Maxine. :)

Max: It's been the best night ever, Tori. Sleep well.


	23. Sunday: Questions

Victoria: Txt me when u wake up

Victoria: Hope you're sleeping well

Victoria: I slept like a baby

Victoria: when I finally got to sleep that is

Victoria: Maxxxxxx I'm hungry!

Max: sorry im wake

Victoria: finally!

Max: 5 txts? Miss me much? :)

Victoria: I'm just hungry!

Max: really?

Victoria: Fine I may have missed you

Victoria: a little

Max: a little?

Victoria: SO NEEDY! Fine a LOT!

Max: need to shower quick

Victoria: want company?

Max: ! Tori! Ummmm

Victoria: Teasing, sweetie

Victoria: I'll meet you downstairs in 15 min K?

Max: k :)

On Sundays, especially after a big party, students rolled through the brunch line in waves rather than all at once. When Max joined Victoria, the two of them had a significant area to themselves. Victoria waved Max over with a bright smile. As she approached, Max realized she had an unexpected dilemma.

"Why are you standing there like a lost puppy?" Victoria asked, smirking fondly.

"Ummm…. Should I sit next to you or across?"

Victoria laughed. "Interesting question, Maxine. We've had some very entertaining meals in both scenarios recently."

Max blushed, smiling at the recollection. Making up her mind, she took the seat across from Victoria explaining, "This way, I can see you better when we talk." She shivered as she felt Victoria's stocking-clad toe run up under the hem of her jeans along her ankle.

"Good choice," Victoria said, sipping her coffee. "We probably should talk a bit, in any case."

"We should? I mean, I know we should talk, but there's 'we should talk' and just 'talk' and…"

"Breathe, Maxine," Victoria said, laying a calming hand on Max's across the table. "I just meant that, after last night, there are some things we should probably talk through. Nothing bad or scary, I promise."

Max took a deep breath, gazing appreciatively at her new girlfriend. "I guess that makes sense," she agreed. "It's kind of a lot, right?"

"Yeah," Victoria nodded, squeezing Max's hand. "It is."

"But a good 'a lot'" Max added.

"Yes, Maxine, very very good."

"I got all my homework done," Max said suddenly. "So, I have the whole day free, if you wanted to…." She waited for Victoria to finish her sentence for her, but realized the blonde wasn't going to make it that easy for her. Instead, Victoria watched expectantly. "… spend some time together?" Max concluded.

"That's one of the things we need to discuss. Am I correct in assuming that this is your first real relationship?" Victoria asked.

Max flushed again and lowered her eyes. "Yes," she admitted sheepishly. "Unless you count some random group dates in middle school and a couple quick spin-the-bottle kisses."

"I don't." Victoria replied curtly. Now, it was her turn to pause and look away briefly. Summoning her courage, she went on, "It's mine, too, Max."

Max looked up, startled. For some reason, she'd just assumed that Victoria had had many relationships. She always seemed so confident and self-assured. She clearly had more experience than Max kissing, if last night was any indication.

As if reading her mind, Victoria continued, "I've… hooked up… with girls from time to time, usually artsy girls I met at my parents' gallery over the summers, but I've never had anyone I'd call a real girlfriend."

"Artsy girls, huh? Seems you have a type," Max teased. Under the table, she slipped a foot out of its Converse prison and slid it across and around Victoria's. The latter took a short, sharp breath, but otherwise did not react outwardly to this development.

"Maybe," Victoria admitted reluctantly. "What's your type then? Bitchy?"

"That's a recent development," Max laughed. She gave the matter some thought. "I'm not sure I have a type."

"What about that Chloe girl?" Victoria asked gently, hesitant to raise the subject, but curious to learn more about who the girl had been to Max.

Max sighed and smiled sadly, a warm look in her eyes as she recalled the Chloe Price she'd known, actively avoiding more recent memories. "Chloe and I were best friends, like the kind of friends you can only be when you're little. I never thought of her like that. I was kind of a late bloomer. I didn't like anyone till I moved to Seattle."

"You went to Sandberg and then Lincoln, right?"

"How did you…." Max grinned. "You googled me? That's adorable! Stalk much?"

"I wasn't stalking," Victoria insisted, her face reddening. "I was just curious and its not like I didn't find anything you didn't post on Instagram or…"

"Breathe, Tori," Max said, squeezing her hand now, "I'm teasing. I googled you, too. Like, the second day of school."

"That early?" Victoria raised her eyes to meet Max's, a warm glow suffusing her.

Max nodded. "I wanted to know everything about the super hottie across the hall. Of course, then you started being mean to me…" Seeing the look of guilt forming on Victoria's face, she reached out to stroke her hair reassuringly. "We've been through that already. I'm just teasing. _You're_ my type, Tori. I'm a Torisexual!" Victoria snorted and rolled her eyes at this. "Now, why did you want to know if this was my first relationship?"

"Because I think we should be careful," Victoria sighed, "not to get too swept up and take things farther faster than we should. I don't ever want you to regret anything."

"That's pretty good advice, V," a new voice said from behind Max. Both girls looked up as Taylor plopped down next to Max, setting down a cup of coffee and a bowl of granola. "But, there's something you should keep in mind."

"And what's that?" Victoria asked, sitting up a bit straighter and recalling her wandering toes, for the moment. "I'm not sure you're the best person to advise us on taking our time based on some of the noises I heard last night!" She smiled knowingly at Taylor.

Taylor refused to take the bait, but her cheeks did turn a fascinating shade of pink. "Well, that's what I'm talking about, something Kate and I realized. You see, there's a weird thing about dating someone you live with."

"And that is?" Victoria prodded, adding "Where is Kate, by the way?"

"Church," both Max and Taylor answered. Taylor continued, "The weird thing is that you see that person like every day. Think about it, if you were in the real world and you met someone, you'd go on a date, then maybe the next week you'd go on another, then a week later, a third, maybe the fourth time you spend a weekend together, maybe start seeing each other during the week. You can go a couple of months before you see someone seven or eight times. Here, that's a week. You guys got together last night, but now you're here on your second date the next day, and you'll see each other tomorrow, and so on."

"What are you trying to say?" Max asked, her brain spinning with calendars and math and dates.

"I'm saying that lots of couples are doing it by the third or fourth date, if even that long these days. But here, for you guys, that's like Monday." With the latter, Taylor shot Max a knowing look and winked. Victoria made a mental note to investigate _that_ later.

"You mean, you and Kate?" Max turned bright red and found it hard to make eye contact with the girl next to her.

"I'm not saying anything at all about Kate and I," Taylor insisted, glaring over at Victoria. "I was talking about you two. I'm glad to see you guys are talking about this stuff."

"We were, before you invited yourself to join us for breakfast," Victoria pouted.

"Be nice, Tori," Max warned, again squeezing Victoria's hand comfortingly. "We have all day to chat." Releasing Victoria, Max turned and pulled Taylor into a hug, surprising her.

"Hey, what's that for?"

"Just for being so awesome," Max said.

"Geez, Max," Taylor said, returning the fond hug, "you get the slightest bit of action and now you're a hug monster!"

"'Slightest' is not the word I'd use," Max replied, waggling her eyebrows.

"Max!" Victoria exclaimed as Taylor pulled away laughing. Soon, all three girls were giggling. After finishing up their meals, Taylor excused herself as Max and Victoria disposed of their trays and headed back upstairs, hand in hand.

"So, your room or mine?" Victoria asked as they hit that dead zone between their doors.

After a quick mental scan of the disaster area that was her room, Max suggested, "Yours!" Victoria nodded and unlocked her door, gesturing for Max to go inside.

Max stood in the center of the room, eyes wandering from chair to couch to bed. Sensing Max's hesitation and the reason for it, Victoria took her hand and led her to the sofa, settling in beside her. "Now," the blonde girl began, "we're going to play a game."

"Game?" Max asked, befuddled.

"Mmhmmm, it's an easy one and if we play well, we both win," Victoria explained. "I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to answer truthfully."

"That's the game?" Max replied, smirking skeptically. "Sounds a little one-sided. What's in it for me?"

"Well, for one thing, you'll get a reward," Victoria purred, letting a hand fall across Max's knee. "And then, you'll get to ask me a question and then I'll get a reward."

"Rrre..reward?" Max stammered, suddenly feeling much warmer. "Like what kind of reward?"

"Like this," Victoria whispered, leaning over. She took Max's chin gently in one hand, tilted her head to the side and kissed her softly, then more urgently. When she felt Max's breath coming faster, she pulled away. "Reward."

Max opened her eyes and slowly re-focused on Victoria. "Sounds fun," she managed, making Victoria giggle a little. "Ok, ask away!"

Victoria pursed her lips and pondered. She had a great number of questions lined up for Max, as well a long list of rewards ready to go, but now confronted with where to start, she faltered. Max waited patiently, trying to think of what her first question would be.

"How about this?" Victoria finally said. "When did you realize that you were gay?"

Max's brow crinkled. "I'm not gay, Tori, I'm bi. I thought you knew that."

Victoria's eyebrows shot up. "I had no idea. How would I have known that?"

Max shrugged, embarrassed. "Well, you seem to know everything else about me!" She felt suddenly unsure and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Is…is that ok?"

Victoria again took her chin and carefully lifted it, so she could make eye contact. "Of course it's ok, Maxine. I was just a little surprised, that's all."

"So, you're gay then, not bi?" Max asked.

Victoria raised a finger. "Ah ah, not so fast. You forgot your reward." She paused just long enough to relish the blush and expectant look in Max's eyes as she slowly shifted forward to kiss her again. This time, their kiss was long and languid, taking the breath from each before Victoria finally pulled away. "Now, to answer your question, yes. I've got no interest in boys, at least not that way."

Max nodded, but then realized something. "Actually Tori, I don't think I ever really answered your question. You asked about when I knew." She stopped to consider the situation and got an idea. "I got an extra reward, and you just earned one, so I guess I need to do something a little extra. Scoot." She gently readjusted Victoria on the sofa so that her feet lay in Max's lap, taking one in her hands and beginning to massage it. As fun as kisses were, she figured a nice foot rub would be a good change of pace as a reward. After a moment or two, though, Max realized she may have stumbled onto something. Victoria stared at her intently, only breaking eye contact to occasionally glance down at Max's hand rubbing her sole. Her lower lip quivered, and her breathing had grown shallow and rapid. Two and two became four. "Tori, you really seem to be enjoying this," she said quietly, smiling slyly up at her girlfriend.

After a couple panting breaths, Victoria pulled her foot away and spun back to her previous sitting position, skin burning. "I'm ticklish," she lied. "That's more than enough reward anyway."

Max grinned, filing this bit of information away for future use. "If you say so. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. I didn't really have any romantic interest in anyone until middle school. You asked about Chloe this morning. Looking back, I wonder if maybe she liked me that way, but we were so young, and I don't even know if she was gay or bi or what."

"She dated Rachel," Victoria said quietly, in an odd tone.

"Rachel? The girl who...?"

"Yeah," Victoria verified, "her. I'm pretty sure they were something." Both girls fell silent, pausing their game to recall the lost. Max had never known Rachel and her Chloe lived long in the past. Victoria's feelings toward both, particularly Rachel, were complicated, but neither she nor Max wished on either what had befallen them. "So, middle school?" Victoria finally prodded.

"Yeah, that spin-the-bottle party I told you about," Max went on, recalling those distant days fondly. "First spin hit a boy named Chase, but my second hit Chrissy and I sort realized that I'd liked both kisses about the same. I guess from then on, gender just didn't really matter much on whatever crush I had or who I noticed. It was always other things that attracted me." She gazed at Victoria affectionately and went on. "Like, really smart people who always know the right answers in class, or people with this self-confidence to just meet the world head on, or like super hot sexy pixie cuts." She reached over to run a hand through Victoria's hair, scratching her scalp, letting the softness fall through her fingers. Victoria arched her head into the welcome touch, keening against Max's hand like a cat desperate for petting.

"Your turn to ask," Victoria said, shivering under Max's fingertips.

So many questions swirled through Max's mind. Sexy questions, sure to lead to more intense rewards, surged to the forefront, but she stopped herself. The point of this game wasn't too find excuses to make out. It was far more important, a way for them to really get to know each other. The fact that Victoria had prioritized this for their "date" meant so much to Max. She owed it to her to take it seriously. There would be more than enough time for rewards.

"Can I ask you about your parents?"

Victoria arched an eyebrow, not expecting this. "Is that your question?" she deflected as she struggled to plan how she might respond to this.

"If the answer is no, then yes," Max replied. "But, if it's yes, then I guess I'm asking, what are they like? I guess that might be two questions, so I'll give you another double reward for the answer," she added, waggling her eyebrows meaningfully. Victoria snorted. "You're such a dork, Caulfield. Fine. Yes, you can ask." She took a deep breath, considering how to begin. Victoria knew there was far too much packed into this particular box to cover completely right now, but Max probably needed to know certain things.

[A/N: Pausing here to get something posted today and since this is about normal chapter length, but fear not, the game is not over by a long shot. I haven't played Before the Storm so please forgive any Rachel/Chloe things which contradict that game. In my fiction, Victoria tried to kiss Rachel and got rejected pretty cruelly, hence her hatred of Rachel. I know there's some sort of poison tea incident in BtS but have no idea if how plausible this is. As always, thanks for reading! Comments, reviews, kudos and follows are the coin of my realm, so if you are so inclined, you know what to do! :) ]


	24. Sunday: Answers

And so, Victoria told Max about her parents and her childhood. She initially didn't intend to delve too deeply, but once she started, the words just flowed out of her. She found herself sharing things that she'd never told anyone, not even her therapist. She experienced no epiphanies or grand revelations, because there were none to be had. Victoria understood quite well the effects that having two highly-driven achievement-oriented Type A personalities for parents had had on her.

Some things she'd only ever discussed with Nathan, since he remained the only person she knew could understand completely. Mrs. Prescott was not as intense as Victoria's mother, but Mr. Prescott more than made up for that. She filled Max in on how she and Nate had met, the basis for their friendship, but did not go too deep down that rabbit hole. Max did not press, instead guiding Victoria back to discussion of herself and her family.

When Victoria cried, Max held her. When Victoria began to spiral, Max pulled her back. When Victoria paused, searching for words, Max waited patiently. By the end, Victoria's head lay in Max's lap, Max gently petting her hair, letting her recover from the emotional outpouring.

For a long while, they remained just like that: Max seated on the couch, Victoria lying on her side, almost fetal, head in Max's lap. Eventually, Victoria rolled over onto her back, looking up at Max through watery eyes, which she wiped clear. When Max pulled her hand away from her hair, Victoria grabbed it and tugged it back down. She kissed the back, then turned it over and began kissing each of Max's fingers lightly.

This morning, Victoria had worried about the pace of their physical connection, afraid that they'd get swept up by desire and take things too far too fast. Now, she realized that the same concerns applied on the emotional level. She felt wonderful for sharing, stunned at how much she'd revealed, and so very close to Max in the moment. Balancing the physical and emotional, making sure neither to rush nor to ignore either, would be challenging, but rewarding beyond measure. To that end, she looked up, eyes smoldering, as she took Max's index finger between her lips and sucked gently. "So, you said something about a double reward..."

Max met Victoria's hot gaze, gasping at the sensation as her girlfriend suckled at her fingertip. She suspected that she loved her, even though she knew it was far too soon. Maybe, she told herself, she just realized she could love her, likely would love her. 'Is there a difference?' Many of her dreams about dating Tori had focused on moments just like this one, holding her and caressing her, letting her free herself of her worries and cares. The look in the blonde girl's eyes, though, reminded her of the rest of her fantasies about dating Victoria Chase.

"I did indeed," Max replied, voice low and full of promise. She lifted Victoria's head carefully and extricated herself, sliding onto the floor next to the couch. "Lay down," she commanded, gesturing for Victoria to stretch out on the couch completely. She noted the slight hitch in Victoria's breathing when she ordered her around and filed that away as well.

"Your reward, my dearest darling Tori, is..." She took Victoria's hand and kissed it all over, just as Tori had hers. She folded her fingers down, leaving the index finger extended. Kissing it, she said, "I've just given you the Power of Kisses."

Victoria smirked a bit. "And what exactly is that, sweetest?"

"Oh, I think you'll like it," Max informed her. "You see..." She took her hand and pressed Victoria's finger against her own cheek, which she then proceeded to kiss gently. "... anywhere your finger touches, I will kiss."

"Anywhere?" Victoria asked archly. When Max blushed fiercely and began to stammer, she laughed and promised, "I'll use my power responsibly, Maxine."

Closing her eyes she relaxed back into the cushions and slowly lifted her finger to her forehead. Max dutifully scooted over and laid a feathery kiss there. Ever so deliberately, Victoria traced a line down over her eyes and cheek, dodging her lips and instead, drawing down to her earlobe, where she pressed harder.

Max obeyed, placing soft, delicate kisses across Victoria's closed eyes and down her cheek. When her lips reached Tori's ear, she sucked at it gently, then began to nibble and pull more forcefully. Tori gasped and writhed against the couch. "I... I... thought it was... just... kisses..." she breathed, squirming delightedly.

"Mostly kisses," Max replied, tugging at her ear and darting her tongue along the inside, her breath hot and soft in Victoria's ear.

Victoria did not reply, rapidly losing the capacity for speech in any case. Instead, she dragged her finger again, down along her neckline from her ear to her sternum, where she began to toy with the top button of her blouse, thankful she'd thought ahead with her wardrobe choices.

Dutifully, Max kissed along the line she'd traced, suckling gently at her pulse points. She looked up when her cheek brushed against Victoria's hand. Tori opened her eyes, looking to Max to see if this was too much. Max nuzzled her hand and nodded, breathing deeply as she recalled their modeling session. The dream of that day appeared to be coming true.

As she had before, Victoria slowly but deftly unbuttoned one, then two, then three buttons, letting her top fall open partway.

"You're not wearing a bra, naughty girl," Max observed, growling against Victoria's skin. "Is this a reward for _me_? I think I owe you an answer first." Her lips resumed their journey, carefully navigating down the center of Victoria's chest, very delicately avoiding the fuller flesh to either side, for now.

Victoria continued unbuttoning and tugged her blouse free of her skirt, letting it fall open completely. The slightest nudge from Max or shift by her would expose her utterly and the thought made her moan in anticipation. Suddenly recalling one particular incident from last night, she grabbed for her phone and pulled up Spotify, filling the room now with music.

"Worried someone will hear something they shouldn't?" Max teased. She nuzzled against Victoria's stomach. For whatever reason, Victoria's flat abs aroused her as much if not more than her barely concealed breasts. No longer content simply to kiss, she slid her hands along Victoria's sides, just above her waist, reveling in the soft smoothness she felt there.

Victoria gasped at the touch and rolled her head back, struggling to retain some self control. She'd decided before this particular game started to keep things above the waist, but the sensation of Max's fingers on her side and her hot breath on her belly threatened to shatter her restraint.

"You do," she managed to say, ignoring Max's comment about the music and going back a step. "I get to ask a question now, but..." She groaned lightly as Max began to nibble at her stomach and slide her hands upward, parting silk like the Red Sea. "... but I got a double reward so you don't get to stop."

"Stop what?" Max asked, feigning innocence even as her hands reached Victoria's arms from inside the blouse and began sliding it off her completely.

Victoria raised her torso just enough to shrug off the offending garment and laid back, resisting the urge to cover her chest with her arms. She now felt as physically exposed and vulnerable as her last answer had made her feel emotionally. Just as then, Max responded with nothing but fond adoration, looking down with awe in her eyes as she took in her now topless girlfriend for the first time.

"Oh Tori," she sighed, "you're even more beautiful than I imagined."

"Been imagining, have you?" Victoria asked rhetorically, joy surging in her heart at the effect she was having on her lover. "Well, that gives me a good question then. Tell me about your fantasies, Maxine."

Max's fingertips danced along Victoria's collarbone, nails gently scratching, as she ever so slowly brought her hands down, finally laying her palms flat over Victoria's breasts. She reveled in Victoria's sudden moan, glad that she'd thought to provide some background noise. She squeezed them softly and began to press and knead, exploring the smooth skin and watching Victoria's reactions carefully, eager to learn exactly what she made her squirm the most.

"That's technically not a question, Victoria, but I'll allow it because I'm such a generous and giving girlfriend." She emphasized the last by lowering her head alongside her hands and blowing warm air across Tori's nipple. "I have generic fantasies, like seeing you naked, writhing under my touch," she began, pulling away to stare down at Victoria's body lying before her. Her hands stopped moving long enough to make Victoria open her eyes and look up. Max couldn't resist leaning down to give her a deep, long kiss, letting her tongue dance across hers with increasing urgency. Her hands matched the passion of the kiss, first caressing then groping with more intensity that had them both breathing heavily.

Eventually, Max pulled away, leaving a gasping Victoria to pout up at her. "But there is one specific fantasy I've been having lately."

Suddenly tired of passively receiving Max's touch, Victoria sat up and pulled Max up onto the couch, kissing her with a frenzied desperation. With no subtlety whatsoever, she yanked at the hem of Max's t-shirt. "This. Off. Now," she commanded, slipping her hands to the clasp of Max's bra as Max tugged the t-shirt over her head happily. "Oh my fucking god those fucking freckles," she growled, taking in Max's chest for the second time. She'd masturbated furiously to the mere glimpse of Max's tits in the shower last week. Seeing her laid bare before her now, she almost lost herself completely to the passion.

"Tell me," she ordered, pushing Max back and pinning her shoulders to the couch. She began kissing and licking across each freckle from her shoulders on down.

"Ohgodtori, it's this..." Max cried, helpless under the onslaught. "It's you, controlling me, dominating me..."

"Tell me everything... details, Max," Victoria pleaded as her kisses scaled Max's left breast, unerringly seeking out the hard nipple there which she proceeded to suck in between her lips.

"Ohyessss... that's so fucking good!" Max yelled before remembering where they were. 'Please, let Kate still be at church.' Getting her voice under control, she went on. "I'm on my knees and you've tied my hands behind my back and you're walking around me and I've been a bad girl and you..." She lost the ability of speech when Victoria bit at her nipple suddenly, before swathing it with her tongue. "And sometimes it's the other way around... you've been the naughty girl and I'm the one in charge..."

Victoria stopped her relentless assault to look up at Max, wonder in her eyes. "Max... you too? Both ways?"

Max nodded helplessly, lost in the sensations and emotions. 'Anything.. she can do anything,' Max realized. A little voice inside warned her, reminding about their discussion earlier about taking things slow, but far more powerful primal forces controlled her in the moment. "Tori?" she asked, leaving the decision with her.

Fortunately, Victoria did have more experience. She'd had sex with girls, but not all the girls she hooked up with, of course. She knew how to recognize points of no return. Sitting up, she pulled Max into a fierce hug, reveling in the feel of the bare chests pressed together. Nuzzling Max's neck, she whispered, "I think that's enough of our game for today, sweetie."

Max sighed with a combination of relief and regret. Shifting on the couch to better hold Victoria in her arms, she realized with some embarrassment that she'd probably need to go change her underwear. "Kate told me you said something about trying out that new tea shop up the coast," Max finally said, kissing the top of Victoria's head. "Want to see if she and Taylor are around?"

"That sounds lovely," Victoria replied, pulling away reluctantly. "Now, I hope you didn't wrinkle my blouse." She found the discarded item on the back of the couch and tutted disapprovingly at Max. "Really, Maxine, if you're going to ravish me and tear my clothes off, at least have the decency to hang them up neatly."

Max laughed as she pulled her t-shirt on. "I think the whole point of ravishing and tearing off clothes is that you don't stop to hang them up," she pointed out. "Besides, you're the one who started with the unbuttoning!"

Victoria sniggered. "Forget something?" she asked, dangling Max's bra on an outstretched finger.

Blushing, Max grabbed it from her. "You suck!" she accused. Standing, she helped Victoria to her feet and pulled her into another warm embrace. "But next time, I get to," she added, nipping at Tori's ear. Before Victoria could respond, she darted for the door. "I'll check with Kate! See you, love!"

"Love," Victoria repeated to herself after Max had gone.


	25. Sunday: The Ride Home

Max stared out the car window, watching the trees go by. She, Victoria, Taylor and Kate had had a lovely outing up the coast, enjoying a pleasant tea and pastry date along with the sites at a scenic town which possessed that most important quality of not being Arcadia Bay. Taylor and Kate snuggled together in the back seat, careful not to get too frisky lest they draw the driver's ire. Victoria focused on the road. Squirming in her seat, trying to get comfier, Max shifted her legs, planning to rest her feet on the dashboard.

"Maxine, do not put your dirty shoes on the leather!" Victoria declared, never even turning her head.

Max rolled her eyes, realizing for the first time that their divergent approaches to cleanliness might need navigating at some point. Dutifully, she reached down and untied her sneakers. "Is that better?" she asked, resting her feet on the dashboard. The white cotton of her shoe-cut socks left no marks whatsoever.

"You told her!" Victoria accused, suddenly going red, glaring at Taylor in the rearview mirror.

"What did I do now?" Taylor asked sleepily, sitting up straight. Gazing into the front of the car, she started laughing, "Ohmigod, I swear I didn't! I told you I'd never…."

"Tell me what?" Max demanded, completely baffled.

"Ohgod.." Taylor laughed, struggling to catch her breath long enough to form coherent sentences. "You… I just… Please V, now we have to tell her!"

Fortunate that there were no other cars on the road, Victoria slowed down to well below the speed limit as she tried to regain some composure, not to mention her dignity. She glanced over again and again at where Max's white-clad feet rested, trying desperately to concentrate on driving. Seeing Max growing increasingly upset, Victoria sighed and nodded to Taylor. "Fine."

"Max.. oh dear sweet Maximillian J. Caulfield…" Taylor began, "only you could stumble innocently onto two out of the Big Three all at once."

"Big Three?" Max turned in her seat to face Taylor, pulling her legs back underneath her. She noted a forlorn sigh to her left as the car began accelerating back to the speed limit.

"At one of our very first sleepovers, Court, V, and I played 'Truth or Dare' and, well, lots of fascinating tidbits came out, about each of us. It was when we all really became close friends." Taylor explained, smiling fondly at the happy memory. "Anyway, one of the things we talked about was fetishes."

Max blushed and stammered, "Fff.. fetishes? You mean like whips and stuff?"

"Nothing that dramatic, Max, though I like how your mind works," Taylor teased, ignoring some mildly alarmed murmurs from Kate. "More like little things guaranteed to turn you on. Like one of mine was rain."

"We live in the Pacific Northwest, it rains all the time," Max pointed out archly.

"Not rain like any old rain, I mean the idea of you know… doing it in the rain," Taylor clarified.

"You never told me that," Kate said, rousing herself from her half-slumber.

"Well, we've had unseasonably lovely weather for the past few weeks, so it never came up," Taylor replied. "Anyway, our own sweet vision of perfection herself, Ms. Victoria Maribeth Chase, mentioned three specific things." She made eye contact with Victoria in the mirror. "Do you want to tell her or should I?"

"I'm busy driving and you're doing so well," Victoria said drolly. "Maybe you can post my social security number and mother's maiden name in your Instagram when you're done."

"You're the one who almost drove us off the road!" Taylor laughed, reaching up to pat Victoria's shoulder fondly.

"She doesn't have to," Max inserted, her voice quiet. She never wanted to embarrass or upset Victoria, though the curiosity was killing her. She reached over and laid a calming hand on Victoria's knee.

Victoria flashed her a warm, gentle smile. "It's fine, sweetie. If I didn't want you to know, I never would have let her start talking."

" _Anyway_ ," Taylor interrupted, "before you both get any mushier. The Big Three Things Sure to Dampen Victoria Chase's Much Too Expensive Panties! In no particular order…" She paused for dramatic effect, noting with glee the frustrated glare from Max this earned. "… girls with their feet up on a dashboard; white ankle socks; and… ponytails pulled through the back of baseball caps! Now, you just need to let your hair grow longer and you can hit the trifecta!"

"And now I will drive us off a cliff and put an end to our misery," Victoria said.

"Tori! That's not funny," Max giggled, still processing these tasty morsels of information about her girlfriend. Certainly now, while the car was moving, was no time to explore further, particularly given the presence of Taylor and Kate, but there were some secluded little areas around Arcadia Bay where one could park in relative privacy. Schemes began to form in Max's devious and increasingly thirsty little mind!

"I think it's only fair, since you shared Victoria's, that you share yours too, Tay," Kate suggested.

"'Tay?' That's sweet!" Max noted. "And that does sound only fair, Taylor. Purely for scientific and ethical purposes, though, I'm sure. Right, Kate?"

Taylor rolled her eyes, having seen this coming. "Fine, but then you both need to share, too! That way it's fair all around."

"I'm not sure I have any," Kate worried.

"Dearest, I know of one for a fact," Taylor replied smugly, eyes glowing with a sudden passion as she took Kate's hands in her own.

"Keep in your pants, T," Victoria warned. Looking up at Kate in the mirror, she advised, "You and Max can think on it while Taylor describes hers in what I'm sure will be quite lurid detail."

"No need for lurid, at least not here and now," Taylor replied airily. "I already told you about the rain thing, just being with someone in like a field somewhere, with soft rain falling all around…" She sighed at the thought, inserting a mental image of Kate quite neatly into this long-standing generic fantasy.

"Sounds kind of cold, at least at this time of year," Kate said, pondering.

"Not a laundry list or a request, Katie," Taylor told her, "just things that get me hot. No pressure at all to make them happen."

"Especially the other one," Victoria snorted.

"Shut up, you!" Taylor barked, though with no bite. Turning to Kate she explained, "But she's right, the other one is not really something I think I'd actually want to do, just something fun to think about. I like to imagine that… well…" She gathered her courage, scared that Kate might be offended or put off by her other recurring fantasy.

Sensing Taylor's hesitation and understanding the reason, Kate squeezed her hands tightly. "I won't think any less of you, Tay. We can't control the things which excite our imaginations, only the actions we take in response. But, if you don't want to share, that's fine. I'm sure we all have things we don't want anyone else to know about ourselves."

Taylor smiled gratefully and pulled Kate in for a quick hug, releasing her before Victoria could admonish her. "It's not that, petal, nothing that bad. Just kinda silly. I have this daydream sometimes where I'm on a stage or in the middle of a crowded party… naked. Sometimes alone, sometimes with someone else… doing things or just kind of dancing around, but with all eyes on me, knowing that no one is allowed to touch or come close, but everyone is getting hot and bothered watching me."

"Narcissistic much?" Victoria said playfully.

"Tori, stop! Don't be mean" Max chided her. "It's not easy to share things like that, as I'm sure you know."

"Kidding, Maxine, sheesh!" Victoria insisted. "She knows I'm just teasing. Don't you, T?" She made eye contact, worried now that maybe she _had_ crossed a line.

"I know you are, V, and it's fine. It _is_ a little self-absorbed, but hey… like some super smart hottie said, we can't help what gets us excited!" To Kate she added, "And no, I absolutely don't want to do that. My dad used to quote Chris Rock at me about keeping me off the pole!"

"Maybe that's enough fetishes for one day," Victoria suggested. "Max, Kate, you guys can think about it and decide if you want to share. It might be a fun game for our next sleepover, and that way Courtney won't miss out!"

Kate looked a bit relieved at that and Max felt the same. She needed some time to sort through the difference between this kind of thing and more explicit sexual fantasies like the one she'd shared earlier with Victoria. Those kinds of things were nothing she wanted to share with Taylor, Kate, or anyone but Tori!

"Actually," Victoria went on, "I did have a question for you, Max." She glanced up at Taylor, adding "Completely off the topic of sex, thank you."

"O…k…" Max replied, trying to catch up with the rapid gear shifting this conversation was undergoing, "shoot."

"How did you know about Taylor's mother being sick?"

"Yeah, I was wondering about that, too?" Taylor chimed in. "I thought maybe V had mentioned it, but…"

"I most certainly did not," Victoria insisted. "Besides, the only things I said to Max before the two of you spoke were…" She hesitated, recalling how she used to treat Max.

"Clever insults? Variations of MeanAdjectiveField?" Max offered.

"'Hipster blah blah blah retro blah," Kate opined.

"'Could I be any hotter for you behind my mean girl façade?'" Taylor contributed.

"I hate you all," Victoria said quietly, though she couldn't avoid a smile as the three girls in the car gazed at her fondly.

"I was also curious," Kate said, bringing them back to the topic at hand.

Max paused to consider her answer. 'My magic journal told me,' was essentially the truth, but she certainly couldn't say that! Could she? She'd stopped trying to figure out when or why or how she had written those things in her journal. Max knew she had no memory of doing so, but also knew that it was definitely her handwriting. Sleepwalking was a thing, dream journals were a thing, so she'd figured sleep journaling might be a thing, but that still didn't explain how she'd known things that she shouldn't have known. Maybe her subconscious was just really perceptive?

Worst case, her friends would think she was crazy, but she had the journal to prove at least that she had written those things, if not when. Best case, they believed her and maybe had some ideas to explain it. It came down to trust and Max knew she trusted all three of these young women completely.

"Ok, this may sound odd, but please bear with me," she began. Max relayed the events of the day after the funeral, how she'd noticed the missing pages, the entries on the final page. She even produced her journal from her ever-present messenger bag to show Taylor and Kate. She then told how she tested the entries, starting with Taylor on the quad what seemed like years ago.

"How could you know these things?" Taylor asked eventually. Kate stared out the window, pondering, while Victoria remained steady at the helm, processing.

Max walked them through her various theories, about subconscious emotional intelligence, dream journaling, etc. pointing out the merits and flaws of each idea. "I don't even know for sure when I wrote these things or what happened to the other pages," she concluded.

"I know."

Max, Taylor, and Kate turned to Victoria, stunned. "You.. you know?" Max asked. "How?"

"I saw you," Victoria replied quietly. "It was after the funeral."

"But how did you…."

"Do you really think I went for any other reason than you?" Victoria said, voice cracking. "I'm not that nice a person and I didn't know Chloe at all. I knew I was the last person anyone wanted to see, given… well… me and Nathan."

"Tori…" Max rubbed her knee again, trying to calm the onslaught of raw emotion.

Victoria took a deep breath and spotted a place just ahead she could pull the car over. Parking under some trees, she turned the car off and spun to face her friends.

"I wanted to make myself experience your pain," she explained finally. "I know… please, Maxine, let me finish. I know I'm not that person anymore, not really. But then, I… I was in a bad place, as I think you all know." She smiled wanly over at Max, taking her hand. "The relevant part is that I spent the funeral watching you. When it was all over, you dashed off, away from everyone else, so I followed."

No one inserted any witty remarks, instead waiting for Victoria to gather herself to continue.

"You went to a secluded part of the cemetery, pulled out your journal, and just started writing, almost frantically, like you were taking a test and time was running out or something. You wrote and wrote, but then you stopped and after a minute or two, you ripped out a bunch of pages and crumpled them up. I thought you might just toss them in the air, but I guess you're too eco-friendly, cause you put them in the recycle bin."

"I don't remember any of that," Max observed.

"What do you remember from the funeral?" Kate asked.

"Well, I remember the shuttle ride over from the school and walking out to the gravesite, but… I guess after that maybe getting back to the dorm?"

Taylor piped in, "Wait, if you were spending all that time writing, wouldn't you have missed the shuttle back?"

"I think she got an Uber," Victoria informed them. "I thought about offering you a ride when I saw the bus leave, but…" She sighed. "… but I was still a huge, self-hating, bitch and didn't. I did see you on your phone, though, and later someone came to pick you up."

"You waited to make sure I got home safe?" Max asked timidly, grasping for anything vaguely positive.

"Yes, I suppose I did do the very bare minimum human thing," Victoria replied bitterly.

"Shut up," Max whispered, pulling Victoria into a fierce embrace. "No one is allowed to be mean to my Tori, not even you."

"Your Tori," Victoria echoed, tears now falling. Kate and Taylor leaned back, giving their friends what privacy they could until they collected themselves.

"So," Taylor finally said after Max and Victoria separated, "you don't recall anything from after we arrived till you were on the way back to school."

Victoria strained to recall the events of that distant day. "There was something," she said. "There was a moment where you almost collapsed, like one moment you were standing there, sad but relatively normal, then the next minute you crumpled up almost into a ball. Mrs. Price had to hold on to you to keep you from falling over."

"I don't remember that either," Max informed them, struggling to pierce the veil over her memories.

"I suppose the only thing to do is go back and get those pages," Victoria suggested.

"But it's been weeks," Kate pointed out.

Taylor sniffed, "Like the cemetery shells out for weekly recyclable pick-ups. I'd say there's a chance they're still there."

"But, that still doesn't explain how I knew about your mom, or David and Joyce, or Dana and Trevor," Max said. "Or why I can't remember any of it."

"Maybe, maybe not," Victoria answered. "But it's all we've got. We can stop by on our way back to campus and check."

"I feel like we've fallen into an episode of Scooby Doo," Taylor said. "I guess that makes me Daphne!"

"I think I'm much more Daphne," Victoria countered, proceeding to make her case as she pulled back onto the road.

Feeling particularly Velma-like, both Max and Kate settled back, half listening to the banter between their girlfriends, half focused on trying to understand, watching the trees race past.


	26. Life is Strange

The sun sat low in the sky as Victoria pulled the car into the cemetery parking lot. The sign said it closed at dusk, but no one stood by ready to block the entry. Kate and Taylor made no move to exit the car. Victoria hesitated, but Max summoned her with a single forlorn look. The two girls got out and walked slowly through the gate.

"Tori, I'm curious," Max whispered, "and I promise not to be mad if you did, but did you…"

"Go and read the papers after you threw them out?" Victoria had been waiting for this question. Certainly, she had more than adequately conveyed her Max-obsessive state of mind from that day. "I thought about it," she admitted. "I know, kind of stalker-y. I stood there, trying to work up the courage to offer you a ride back to school and was so pissed at myself when I chickened out, that I just got in my car and was halfway back before it occurred to me."

"Didn't you think it was strange?"

"Well, you're always writing or drawing in your journal, Max, so I figured it was like a grief thing," Victoria pointed out.

"I'm not always… well, Ok, I guess I do tend to space out a lot and just doodle," Max admitted. "Do you think they'll still be there?"

"Only one way to know. It's that one over there." Victoria pointed to a green plastic bin a dozen or so yards away. She had no idea what the pages might reveal and felt as perplexed as the rest about the nature of Max's odd journal entries. Still, a premonition which had been building in her gut ever since she'd suggested they come here began to solidify and assert itself.

"Max," she called as her girlfriend began to approach the bin, "wait."

Max turned, a quizzical look in her eye. "What?"

Victoria sighed and stepped forward to take Max's hands in her own. "I just… does it really matter? Whatever you wrote, you wrote. You wrote it and you decided to get rid of it."

"But I don't remember why, let alone doing it," Max reminded her.

"I know, and maybe I'm being selfish. Knowing me, I probably am," Victoria's voice took on that self-mocking tone which Max had come to hate.

"Stop," she ordered, pulling Victoria into a tight embrace. "Just, stop. I told you, you're not allowed to be mean to yourself any more. It.. it hurts me when you do, and I know you don't want to hurt me, do you?"

"No," Victoria whispered, burying her face against Max's neck. She felt so small and stupid sometimes. They'd come all this way. It had been her idea! But now, she had strong doubts. "I'm sorry. I'll try. Promise."

Max kissed the side of her head and asked gently, "Why don't you think I should look?"

"Because," Victoria sighed, "it doesn't matter, does it? We're happy now, I think. For whatever reason, the things you wrote, the ones that you didn't throw out, led to this… to you and me being us… to Kate and Taylor for that matter. I've… I've never been happier, Max, and… well, you threw them out for a reason."

Max considered Victoria's words. She hated, hated, the knowledge that there was a part of her life she could not remember, no matter how brief. She burned with curiosity about why she'd acted the way Victoria described, about what she'd taken such time to write, only to discard.

But…

She recalled the promises she'd made to her counselor, to Kate, to herself, not to dwell in the past, but to focus on the present, and the future. Funeral Max, whoever she was, had chosen to get rid of whatever she'd written. Should Current Max overrule that decision? To what end?

"I've never been happier too, Tori," she finally replied. "It seems so strange that we'd end up here, together, like this, after everything that…well, everything. Life is pretty strange, I guess."

A huge weight lifted off Victoria's chest. Tears streaked down her cheeks, reminding her how odd and wonderful it was to have someone she trusted enough to cry with. "Strange, but sometimes wonderful," she amended. "Max… I… I know it's too much too soon… but I just can't… I mean… I… I…" She sobbed, unable to get the words out, desperate for Max to know but unable to get past these last insecurities.

Max shushed her, pulling back to gaze into her eyes, sliding her arms around her girlfriend's waist to support her. "It's Ok, Tori. I know. Maybe it'll be easier if I say it first… I love you."

"I love you too," Victoria cried, pulling Max tight against her.

-x-

"They're coming back," Kate said. She and Taylor watched Max and Victoria stroll arm in arm from the gates, even as the groundskeeper approached to raise the chain to block the entrance. They gave them all of four seconds after they got into the car before asking, in unison, "Well?"

"I didn't look," Max explained, her voice soft.

Kate turned to Taylor and smirked triumphantly. "I told you so."

Taylor groaned and rolled her eyes, "You're killing me, Caulfield!"

Before Max could say anything, Kate turned in her seat and took Taylor's head between her palms. "Like I said, Tay, it's their business, not ours."

"Would it change anything, really?" Victoria asked, starting the car. "Would we want it to?"

"Fine!" Taylor said with feigned irritation. "I guess we can just raise a toast to Funeral Max and the Magical Psychic Dream Journal and thank her for… well, for everything."

"Max and the Magic Dream Journal would be a great title for a kids' book," Kate observed, ideas forming.

"Maxine gets 15%!" Victoria insisted suddenly.

"Are you my agent now?" Max asked, amused. Turning to Kate, she added, "Ignore her, Kate! You can have it." She reached over to give Victoria's knee a playful squeeze. "For 5%!"

" _You should have stood firm at 15. Do you have any idea how much that book made, let alone the animation rights?"_

" _We're doing quite well, Ms. Chase."_

" _Mrs. Caulfield-Chase, thank you. We didn't spend that much on a ceremony to have you forget!"_

" _Yes, my bad. We really did dodge a bullet, there."_

" _Hmmm?"_

" _Chase-Caulfield? I mean, it's not like you do anything but chase me, but…."_

" _More like Catch-Caulfield, I think."_

" _Damn right."_

" _Do you ever regret not looking?"_

" _No, not really. I wonder sometimes, of course, but… I mean life is a series of choices, right? Every decision building to the next, each one leading you forward in one direction or another."_

" _Pretty deep, my love."_

" _Shut up, I'm being serious! I'm trying to say that, if I'm happy where I am, then I can't really spend too much time regretting the decisions that led me here, right?"_

" _I'm not sure I would say I don't regret some of my decisions, but I know what you mean. And I am happy, my love. So very much so."_

" _Even after all these years?"_

" _Especially after all these years."_

-Fin-

[A/N: So, we've reached the end, finally. As tempting as it would be to describe every single day in what I've established is a long-lasting relationship, all good (I hope it's good) things must come to an end and this feels as good a place as any. However, I will likely follow up with a "fic" which is a collection of one-shots featuring this version of Max and Victoria. If there are particular relationship milestones (for M&V or K&T) that anyone wants to see, feel free to comment/review to that effect. If you've been reading along as I've been posting, thanks for your ongoing interest. If you've come to this later, thanks so much for finding it in the morass of LiS fics! ]


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